Thomas Gibbs Dyer

Thomas (Tommy) Gibbs Dyer, 97, of Somerville, Texas passed away on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held, Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 11;00 a.m. at Somerville First United Methodist Church Somerville with Pastor Vicki Simons officiating. The family will receive guests Friday evening June 6, 2025, from 5:00 ~ 7:00 p.m. at Strickland Funeral Home in Somerville. A Committal Service with Military Honors provided by TBD will be held Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Oaklawn Cemetery in Somerville, Texas.

Tommy was born July 25, 1927, in Belleville, Arkansas. He was the oldest of five children, two sisters, and two brothers.

He married the love of his life Claudia Hays Dyer in 1946, who preceded him in 2016, after almost 70 years of marriage. They had three children together, Terry Dyer, Dawnna Dyer Stemmer, and Cheryl Dyer Chesser. He had five grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild and another on the way.

Tommy was a WWII Navy Veteran and a member of the Somerville American Legion Post # 455, a member of Somerville First United Methodist Church, participant in United methodist Men and a local weekly prayer breakfast group. He was also a committee member of the Burleson County Election Board.

He enjoyed spending time in his garden and driving his john Deer tractor and riding around on his golf cart. He also enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was a people person, and he never met a stranger that he didn’t speak to. Everyone that met him loved him, including animals. I think he tamed all the stray cats and dogs that came up to his house.

He also enjoyed driving his 99 Buick everywhere. Everyday he made his trip to McDonalds, and he always got his sausage mc muffin and a cup of senior coffee. He made trips to Brenham to get and ice cream cone at the Blue Bell Creamery, and it was always the French vanilla cone. I think he was the best customer they had.

He truly enjoyed life and found joy in everything he did. In his younger years, he was known as a James Dean to all the ladies and even at the nursing home ladies were driven to him. At age 90 years old, he found the second love of his life, Mackie Meyer. He was always positive about whatever situation was going on at the moment. He treated others the way he wanted to be treated and taught his children and grandchildren to do the same. He had a fun-loving playful personality and was always smiling and happy. He was always telling people that he had a wonderful life and had lots of great friends and loved everyone of them.

He said there wasn’t anything he would change about it. He was one of a kind and there won’t ever be another like him.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.