Thomas Carmean

Thomas Albert Carmean, devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, and shade tree mechanic died in Hospice Care on September 18, 2009. Tom was born August 24, 1920 in Carthage, MO, and was raised in Baxter Springs, KS. As Tom was a spirited youth, he spent the end of High School years at Wentworth Military Academy, where he bonded with several lifelong friends. After a brief try at college, Tom moved to LA to work at Lockheed Aircraft; he then decided it was time to marry his childhood sweetheart, Jean Bell, after the wedding they lived briefly in the LA area. The start of WWII moved them back to the KS and MO areas; then a job opportunity brought them down to Arkansas in 1951, trailing three kids and a dog. The family grew one more addition in El Dorado before finally settling in Camden, where they were to raise their family and live out their remaining lives together. Tom was very active in the Camden High School Band Auxiliary, making burgers at all home games to raise needed funds. He also was a leader in the Boy Scout Organization, courageous enough to pack 4 boys and himself into a pickup bound for Philmont Boys Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Tom will always be remembered by the town?s youth as a wonderfully playful man with a boy?s spirit. He created and ran several business ventures before working and retiring from the US Postal Service. His shade tree mechanics made him very popular with the teenagers and young adults ? there was not much he didn?t know when it came to automobiles. The driveway and garage were always filled with youngsters with their cars, bikes, go carts and anything that had a motor. Tom will be remembered for his sense of humor, generous heart and boyish spirit. After Tom?s wife, Jean, passed away last year, Tom moved to a Nursing Care Facility in Waldron, AR to be watched over by his youngest son, Chris and his wife, Sharon. He is survived by his sons Kirk Carmean of Longboat Key, FL and Christopher Carmean of Waldron, AR; by his daughters Karen Carmean of Spartanburg, SC and Mary Lou Barnes of Spartanburg, SC; by his grandsons Joshua Tuberville of Los Feliz, CA, Adam Lageveen of Waldron, AR, and Jackson Carmean of Ellsworth, SD; by his granddaughter Sarah Alt of Alexander, AR; by his great grandson Keegan Carmean; by his great granddaughter Caitlyn Alt; and by his sisters Catherine Morrisey and Carolyn Bradley, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. There will be a private family memorial as his ashes will be laid to rest beside his wife in the IOOF Cemetery in Neosho, MO. Arrangements are being entrused to Heritage Memorial Funeral Home and Crematory in Waldron, Arkansas.