Tom Rucker Lunsford

Former Chairman of the Board and owner of the First Bank of Cleveland, Tom R. Lunsford passed away Thursday, August 28, 2008 at the Oklahoma Veterans Center in Claremore at the age of 86 years. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm, Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at the First United Methodist Church in Cleveland with Rev. Connie Taylor officiating.

Tom's grandfather, R. L. Lunsford, was one of the founding fathers of Tulsa, owning the Tulsa Democrat Newspaper, the forerunner of the Tulsa Tribune. Mr. Lunsford sold the newspaper, purchased the First National Bank of Cleveland, and moved his family to Cleveland in the early 1900's.

Tom Rucker Lunsford was born on October 23, 1921 in Cleveland, Oklahoma. He was the son of Robert and Kathleen (Rucker) Lunsford, Jr. Tom was raised and attended school in Cleveland, graduating from Cleveland High School in 1939. While in high school, Tom was active in sports, the marching band, and the Cleveland Student Council.

Upon graduation from high school, Tom attended the University of Oklahoma where he was a member of the Beta Theta Phi fraternity and the Pride of Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma Marching Band. In 1941, Tom was inducted into the service of this country in the United States Army, serving honorably during World War II. Prior to being sent overseas, Tom was married to Jayne E. Booth on December 11, 1943 in Youngstown, Ohio. Sgt. Lunsford participated in the D-Day Invasion or the Invasion of Normandy, the 1944 assault on Nazi-occupied northern Europe that assembled the largest force in the history of amphibious warfare and represented a major turning point in World II. For his service during this invasion, Sgt. Lunsford was awarded three bronze stars. He also participated in the Battle of the Bulge.

Upon his release from active duty, Tom returned to Cleveland where he resumed his employment at the First National Bank of Cleveland. He later graduated from the Wisconsin School of Banking in 1957 and worked his way up the ladder of the bank to the Presidency in 1964. He held that title until the bank was sold in 2000. Tom was a fifty year member of the Oklahoma Bankers Association.

In 1993, when the former Soviet Union turned their sights on Western Banking, he was selected as one of three bankers from Oklahoma to travel to Moscow for an International Conference on Russian Banking. He was shocked at their lack of understanding of banking, with their entire bank code consisting of sixteen pages.

He served as treasurer of the Cleveland Public Schools for over thirty-five years, was a member of the Arkansas Basic Development Project, and a two-term President of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Tom was a member of the First United Methodist Church where he served as treasurer for many years, Sunday school teacher and on various committees.

Survivors include his son Tom Lunsford and his wife Carol of Cleveland. His daughter, Susie Morgan and her husband Phillip of Claremore, an three grandchildren. In addition to his parents Tom was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Jayne.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm, Tuesday, September 2, 2008 in the Sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church with Rev. Connie Taylor officiating. Burial will follow in the Woodland Cemetery on the family plot in Cleveland, Oklahoma. Memorial donations may be made in honor of Tom to the local Senior Citizens Building or a charity of your choice in Cleveland, Oklahoma. Funeral arrangments are under the direction of Chapman-Black Funeral Home, Inc.