Tommy Dean Sawyer

Tommy Dean Sawyer, 85, of 12 Scooter Run, Swannanoa, passed away peacefully, Saturday, February 3, at Mountain Ridge Wellness Center in Black Mountain. Mr. Sawyer was born in Buncombe County on August 14, 1938 and was the youngest of nine children of the late Harry Emerson and Effie Bryant Sawyer. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Thelma Jean Carver Sawyer whom he married on August 4, 1962. His eight brothers and sisters also preceded him in death, along with brothers- and sisters-in-laws and several of his nieces and nephews.

Mr. Sawyer was a 1956 graduate of Biltmore High School in Asheville. He went on to complete his education in Diesel Mechanics at Nashville Auto Diesel College in Nashville, TN. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves from May of 1961 until April of 1967. He was a truck driver and owned his own trucks and trailers as T.D. Livestock Trucking for 40 years before retiring in August of 2000.

Mr. Sawyer was the “first dad” and an ardent supporter of the Buncombe County Junior Miss program (now the Distinguished Young Woman program). From 1985 until 2018, he could be seen in the audience of the local program each year cheering on his girls.

Mr. Sawyer never met a stranger and would help anyone in need. He loved to make people laugh and smile as he always had a joke to tell. He had hugs at the ready for anyone who might need one. Second only in the love he had for his Thelma Jean, he loved his kids, whether they called him Daddy, Papa Tom, Uncle Tom, or TD. He loved his kids.

Mr. Sawyer is survived by his and Thelma Jean’s two daughters, Teresa Renee Sawyer of Swannanoa, and Lisa Marlene Sawyer, and her husband, Lt. Col. Jerry Dean Kerby, USAF (Ret.), of Lake Wales, FL; Papa Tom’s boys, Joshua Ellic Gant, his wife, Christine and their sons, Ellic and Blake of Sioux City, Iowa, and Duncan Leland Gant and his wife, Jennifer and their sons, Maddox and Murphy of Marion; and his bonus daughter, Dr. Tiffany Elizabeth Hamm of Rockville, MD. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, all of whom were his favorites and whom he loved very much.

The family would like to thank the staff members at Mountain Ridge Wellness Center for the care and love they provided Mr. Sawyer during his five years as a resident, and especially for providing him with an endless supply of hugs and nightly cookies and milk that kept him smiling.

The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at Groce Funeral Home on Tunnel Road. Funeral services will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday with the Rev. Dr. Amy J. Rio officiating. Burial will follow at Sky View Memorial Park on Cardinal Ridge Drive (at 1600 Tunnel Road) in East Asheville. In honor of Mr. Sawyer’s love of blue jeans, cowboy boots, and western-style shirts, the family has asked for the friends and family attending the funeral to wear their best jeans and shirts.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Asheville Humane Society at 14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806, where his best boy Scooter was adopted.