Thomas "Tom" Ray Bishop passed away peacefully at his home at Lake Texoma on September 8, 2023.  He was born March 4, 1947 in Sentinel, Oklahoma to Pete and Viola(Moore) Bishop.

Tom was raised on the family farm and attended Port High School where he was involved in basketball, FFA, and was a school bus driver during high school.  He graduated in 1965.  After graduation, he moved to Amarillo, Texas and began working for Santa Fe Railroad.  He worked for Santa Fe and Burlington Northern Santa Fe for 33 years, mostly in Amarillo before transferring to Topeka, Kansas in 1987 and retiring from the Kansas City office in 1999 as superintendent of communications.

Tom married his high school sweetheart, Connie Hopkins, on June 10, 1966.  They were married for 26 years before Connie passed away in November of 1992.  He was the proud father of Phillip Ray Bishop and Kimberly Donise Bishop Kennedy.

In 1996, Tom married Laurie Lloyd in Eudora, Kansas.  He and Laurie lived in Linwood, Kansas and enjoyed being active in their church in Eudora and going to various events in the Kansas City area. Upon Tom's retirement, they moved to Nocona, Texas where they spent time running their ranch at Spanish Fort, living on Lake Nocona, owning the Saint Jo Farm and Ranch Feed Store, and attending Saint Jo Panther ball games.  In December of 2011, they moved to Lake Texoma.

Tom spent his life dedicated to the Lord. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Gordonville.  He served as a deacon in the churches he attended, was a Sunday school teacher, and volunteered at Vacation Bible School. He was a farm boy at heart and would use his vacation time from Santa Fe to work wheat harvest on the family farm each summer.  One of his favorite pastimes was watching his children and grandchildren in their various activities.  Pops and Honey drove many miles to watch their grandkids whenever they could.  After retirement, he and Laurie enjoyed taking the family on vacations to the mountains, the beach, and the lake.  During the years at Lake Texoma, Tom was involved with the Sherwood Shores Association and while his health allowed, he helped maintain the park and spent many mornings drinking coffee with friends at various locations.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents Pete and Viola; wife Connie and son Phil. Left to cherish his memories are his wife, Laurie(Gordonville, TX); children Kim and James Kennedy (Weatherford, TX), Bill and Krista Lloyd (Blue Mound, KS) and Christina Gomez(Topeka, KS). Grandchildren: Megan and Daniel Henderson; Madison and Cutter Kennedy; William and Zoey Lloyd; Arianna, Alicianna, and Xavier Bose; Alliana and Diego Gomez. Also seven great grandchildren; his sister, Debbie(Keith)Wilson; and his nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.  The family would like to express their gratitude to Birdie Hospice of Sherman for their care of Tom.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday, September 17th at 2:00 p.m.at First Baptist Church in Gordonville, Texas.  There will be a time of fellowship following the service to visit with family and friends. A graveside service will be held in Sentinel, Oklahoma at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to FBC Gordonville, Sentinel Cemetery, or a charity of your choice