Obituary of Thomas Bernard Hughes

A memorial service will be held for Mr. Thomas “Tom” Hughes, 74, on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. at Grace Bible Church, located at 2305 Raguet Street in Nacogdoches,Texas. The service will be officiated by Pastor Brent Bullard.

Tom Hughes passed away on Thursday, April 11, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. at his home in Nacogdoches, Texas. He was surrounded by family as he slipped peacefully into the arms of his Savior.

Born on October 11, 1944, to Thomas G. and Ethel Hughes in Buffalo, New York, he was raised in Lancaster, New York, and graduated from Lancaster High School in 1962. He began his college studies at the University of Buffalo, where he played euphonium in the marching band. It was there that he met the late Carolyne Wallace, who would become his wife in 1964. He left college early to begin a career in sales, starting with the Drackett Company in Buffalo, New York. Tom’s outgoing personality and easy charm made him a natural in the sales business and he found considerable success throughout his long career. After leaving Drackett, he took a position with Tripifoods, also in Buffalo. Tom and Carolyne moved to Southern California in 1985 and shortly thereafter, Tom was hired by Automatic Data Processing. His time with ADP was extremely successful and he was the company’s top small-business salesman nationwide on multiple occasions and was awarded trips to Switzerland and Hawaii among other honors. He retired from ADP in 2005, and in 2006 he and Carolyne moved to Nacogdoches, Texas.

Moving to Texas was like “coming home” to Tom, who was an unashamed member of the National Rifle Association and a political conservative. He enjoyed fishing with his grandsons, watching his daughter perform, and spending time with his friends from the Lions Club and the Nacogdoches Senior Center.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Carolyne, and his older brother John.

He is survived by his son, Thomas Hughes and wife Isabel; daughter, Kimberly LaGraff and husband Scott; grandchildren, Roxana, Carolina, Citlali, Cameron, Aidan, and Alex; brothers, Jim and Paul; and dearest friend, Jane Luna.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Nacogdoches Senior Center; 621 Harris St.; Nacogdoches, TX 75964.