Thomas Carlyle Hancock, 65, of China Spring, died May 19, 2022, after a long battle with depression. He is preceded in death by his father, Lovette Carlyle Hancock, and mother, Jacquelyn Jones Hancock. He leaves behind his wife, Lura Hancock; daughter, Jacquelyn Bolwell and son-in-law, Greg Bolwell; grandchildren, Finn and Emery Bolwell; sister, Rhonda Siebert and her husband, Tom; sister, Norma Gates and her husband, Neil; sister, Karla Self and her husband, Dan; and numerous nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom are heartbroken by their loss.
Tom’s family home was in Worth County, Georgia, and he spent much of his early life and many summers there. He was born in Tampa, Florida and grew up on Air Force bases around United States and in England. His childhood stories mostly told of making trouble; riding motorcycles, working on his uncle’s watermelon farm, and terrorizing his sisters and school administrators so much that he was advanced through the school system and graduated early.
He moved to Waco after his father started work with the M&M Mars company and began college at Baylor University. The story he told was that he saw a buddy taking the LSAT, and since he had a pencil in his pocket and the cash to cover the fee, he decided to sit for the exam. With a great score, Tom was admitted to Baylor Law School without a bachelor’s degree, and he won the prestigious Leon Jaworski Scholarship, graduating at the age of 22.
He met and married his wife of 41 years, Lura, in Waco in 1980. They enjoyed their early married life, traveling and spending time with friends. Tom worked as an attorney at Baker, Hancock, and Pollard PC for most of his professional career. He was dedicated to his community; mentoring at risk kids, coaching a mock trial team, acting as the president of the Young Lawyers Association, and serving as a member of both the Historic Waco Foundation and the board of the McCollough house.
Tom and Lura had their only daughter, Jackie, and Tom quickly became the most devoted father in history. He became somewhat overly involved in her sports-related endeavors and was thrown out of too many basketball games to count. They bought Elm Creek Ranch, moved to China Spring, and raised all sorts of exotic deer and other animals. His TV was often turned to the weather channel, and he was repeatedly disappointed with the accuracy by which the rain missed the ranch. Even in the midst of drought, Tom enjoyed nothing more than having people over to fish in the lake, look for deer, or watch a sunset.
His love of motorcycles continued, and with his friends and his nephews, Aaron and Justin, he took many memorable and questionably hazardous trips to Mexico, Big Bend, North Carolina, and Arkansas. He remained a devoted friend, and prided himself on helping friends, family, and clients in any way he could. Tom continued to form relationships with his motorcycle community and helped organize rallies like Roll the Bones, with profits going to the Wounded Warriors Project.
Tom was a generous, quick witted, riot comedian who loved telling stories and making people laugh. He would go above and beyond for his family and friends, and freely gave his time, intellect, and resources to help others. He loved motorcycles, big dogs, high school girls basketball, BBQ, good music, and treated others like they were the most important people in the world. His love for his wife, daughter, and grandchildren surpassed everything.
In his last years, Tom struggled deeply with his health and depression and actively sought out treatments. Devoted family and friends did their best to help, but unfortunately, his stubbornness and illness prevailed. However, through it all, Tom was still all about helping others and was still Tom. His struggle at the end was not all of him, and the life he lived was one of which to be proud. He will be very missed.
A memorial service will be held at Lake Shore Funeral Home on May 26, 2022, at 6:30pm, with a visitation with the family from 5:30-6:30pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness at the link below.
https://donate.nami.org/fundraiser/3932803
Place of Service: Lake Shore Funeral Home , 5201 Steinbeck Bend; Waco, TX 76708
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Karla, Norma, Rhonda and family,
We wish to say how very sorry we are for your loss.
Lura and Jackie,
I am sorry for your Loss.
I always loved talking to him at
The HS Basketball Games.
You all are in our Prayers 🙏🏻
Tom was a dear friend who loved to talk about his family and was a welcome sight to all of us at the bank in China Spring. I have fond memories of him coming into my office, sitting in the chair and emptying ALL of the folded/wadded up checks out of EVERY pocket into a pile on my desk. While I straightened, unfolded checks and and made his deposit slip out he would tell me of his latest escapades. Whether it was Jacques sports or medical successes, a motorcycle trip, or a deer running into his house, he was always interesting!
Sincere sympathies to all of his family.
.
We have lost a great man. May we take a piece of the goodness that wasTom and pay it forward. Here is to the Slow Old Guy! Salute!
Jackie,
Your dad was one of a kind. We remember visiting with him at basketball games and all the stories he told us about his adventures in the gyms! As passionate as he was about basketball, his love, and pride for you were much greater! It was clear you were his super all-time rock star! Hold tight to your wonderful memories and let them put a smile on your face. Praying God holds you and your family close and provides the comfort only he can give you.
How we loved cheering for the CS girls team with Tom and Lura and having Jackie and Anna become the dearest of friends. We pray comfort for your family at this time. Love, Bill and Cindy
Lura and Jackie-
My heart breaks for your loss. Tom told me stories I still share to this day. I’ve been telling Grace, my wife about him all week.
I’m sorry I cannot attend today. Please believe I would if I could.
Love Dave, Grace and baby Harlan
Medford Oregon
Lura and Jackie, and all the family, our hearts and prayers go out to you. He was a great caring boss for twenty two years and I think of him often. Sorry for your loss.
So sorry for your loss. Tom was my attorney and was a very nice man. He was very helpful person and will be missed by all that knew him. Rest in peace Mr. Hancock.
So many people lost a big measure of joy that went with Tom. Several years ago when he thought the diabetes was going to take him soon, he came to Fort Worth which I sensed was a time to say “goodbye” We ended up, like always, laughing ourselves sick. Only Tommy could do this. Happily, he got more years than he was expecting. We sat next to each other in most classes in Law School. It is a wonder we made it through! Then for decades, i had the joy and privilege of sharing a series of adventures and misadventures, with his referral cases, joint representation, trials and all that go with that. He was one of the few people in my life that made me laugh out loud. He did it a lot. Taught me how to put joy into serious business boundlessly. That “Tom Hancock laugh” will bless my spirit for the rest of my life. i know from his endless stories how much love and dedication he had to you all. I know you have a treasure trove of fun and joy from that legacy. Time will help you get to the point where you con relive and push aside the unending grief to cash in those memories. i spent the last week reliving many of them. Add me to the long list of people who were blessed to call him a friend. i miss him a lot.
Dear Lura,
I’m so very sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. Wishing you and Jackie find peace and comfort in all of the friends and family you gave surrounding you. I truly hope to get to see you soon. Love,
Lura, I’m so sorry to learn of your husband’s battle with depression and eventual death. We had a son who suffered from mental illness and after fighting it for many years, it finally got the better of him. Our deepest condolences. If we can be of comfort or understanding, please get in touch. Love you, Mo Jones McSwane & Doug💔💔💔
Lura we are sorry to hear of your loss our prayers are with you and your family. Peace and comfort to all.