Tommy Gene McClain

Tommie Gene McClain, seventh child of Wilmer Lewis McClain and Mamie Artie Misha (Adams) McClain was born in Camp Lake, Texas, a village of Commerce, Texas on August 12, 1929. His grandfather, Chelsey McClain had migrated from Hardin County, Tennessee and owned and operated a general store in Arbella, Texas near Sulphur Springs. His father was a school teacher.

Tommy attended Longview High School where he excelled in sports. He lettered in track, basketball, and football. He was the hero of the semi finals in 1949 with 10,000 fans and was written up in the Longview paper. He enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean war years and became a squadron chaplain at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Tommy attended Kilgore College, then transferred to East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas, where he met Mary Kathleen Miller, who sang in the trio. They married in April of 1955 and became the parents of Thomas Bradford and David Kurt McClain. Tommy continued his education at Fort Worth Seminary and pastored Temple Baptist Church. He became a top salesman with Word Records and became part of the Young Life Ministry with teenagers whom he loved.

Tommy and Mary Kathleen (Kathy) enjoyed eleven happy years of marriage before tragedy struck, when Kathy developed breast cancer and died on October 2, 1967. She is buried in Oakland Memorial Park Cemetery in Terrell, Texas where they were living at the time. At that time Tommy purchased three plots and after a visitation at the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire 615 South Main Street on December 30, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., he will travel back to Texas for burial. He will be met by his son Brad (Thomas Bradford McClain) and Brad and daughter Karen who are arranging a burial service with the pastor of the church that Tommy was instrumental in founding in Rockwall, Texas where they lived and raised their five children in the 80’s.

Tommy directed Young Life at their home and had many happy memories of those times. Craig Combs, who was one of the Young Life “kids” became a military chaplain and will be coming up from Texas to lead a memorial service in Nelson Hall at Elim Park Baptist Home in Cheshire, CT, where Tommy with wife Grace lived until God took him home on December 20. The date of the service is January 20, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.

Tommy met and married Grace Scoville of Southbury, CT, through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru). He became the beloved father of Kathryn and Karen and another little girl was added to the family in 1970, Deborah Gene McClain. Tommy was predeceased by all of his siblings and his beloved son David Kurt McClain who died of ALS in 2018. Tommy and Grace moved to Connecticut in 1983 with Primerica Financial Services, where Tommy became a Senior Vice President. He and Grace worked together in the business until retirement in 2020.

Tommy became the parent of five, grandparent of fifteen (two deceased) and great grandparent of twenty-five. He is also survived by his wife Grace of fifty-five years, who held his hand until the end. In lieu of flowers memorial donations in Tommie's name may be made to Samaritan’s Purse PO Box 3000 Boone, NC 28607.

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