This afternoon there is a memorial service for my shepherd and friend Dr. Tom Formby.
While I was blessed with so many close friends on the College Church eldership, the two I was closest to, Ray Muncy and Tom Formby, have now both passed on.
When Diane and I first returned to Searcy in 1984, Tom was still a family physician at the Searcy Medical Center, which he helped form. When he retired as a doctor, he and Mary poured themselves into the tape ministry — among many other things! — at the College Church. Messages preached at the church went all around the world because of their tireless work.
He was a man of compassion, wisdom, wit, and joy. Whenever I’ve returned to Searcy over the past fifteen years, no matter how short the trip I’ve run by to say hello to “T. A.”
We’ll miss being at the service today, and we’ll certainly miss this great man who shepherded our lives.
Kim and I lost a dear friend and former elder in our church in CA, Claud Dunn. Claud would ride his bike up to our church and pray from 4:30am to 7:30am daily.
Cloud of witnesses.
Run!
He loved you and your family! He was a quiet servant leader for sure
DU
Only two comments almost twelve hours after the post on this blog? I think that’s unheard of!!
Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how precious it was to receive communion from the thoughts and prayers of you and Wanda today. It was very sweet!
I agree, Heather. What a blessing Wanda shared with us with her sweet, innocent prayer.
We bought a barn next door to the Formbys and turned it into a house two years ago. All during the construction, Dr. Formby would walk in, with the aid of his cane, and look around and ask questions and make suggestions. He came to call it the house of seven gables, and we came to really enjoy his presence and encouragement. We called him the shop steward.
There are two trees in his yard which came from acorns he picked up while at George Washington’s house under an oak which George had planted. He was very proud of these, and would chuckle when he told you he wasn’t supposed to take anything from the grounds, but just couldn’t resist picking up the acorns and taking them home.
He didn’t get out much for the last year or so, but when he did, he would ask about us (not speak about himself), and would then ask if we had seen the trumpeter swans up near Pangburn, or some other fact he found interesting. We will miss him.
As a young high school student I was afraid of Dr. Formby. My future (now married for 30 years!) wife was a good friend of Dr. Formby’s daughter, Leah. I had a severe sore throat and was supposed to go on a trip. Martha told me to go see Dr. Formby. We walked two doors down to the Formby house and rang the doorbell. Dr. Formby came to the door, looked at Martha and me, and said, “You don’t need a blood test, do you?” Of course blood tests were needed at that time to get married. Not only did Dr. Formby treat me, he told me that if I didn’t get better, to come back and see him. It was almost a warning. I was saddened to hear of his death. But I’m proud for his arrival home.