Obituary of Dr. Tommy H. Cloyd

There is a natural circle of life, but there are some people, very few people we wish were immortal because of their intrinsic humanity, love and their faith. Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Cloyd, age 87, was one of them and we celebrate his life as he went to be with the Lord, surrounded by family, on June 28, 2017. Those of us who knew and loved him can only hope to emulate his life. He is survived by his wife of 65 years Betty Shannon Cloyd of Chapel Hill, NC., his daughter Rev. Suzanne Cloyd Hultman and son-in-law Dr. Scott Hultman of Chapel Hill NC, his son Dr. J. Timothy Cloyd and daughter-in-law, Wendy Scott Cloyd of Springfield MO, his son Thomas Mark Cloyd and daughter-in-law Tereese Warren Cloyd of Nashville TN, and his daughter Cynthia Cotton Cloyd of Lake Junaluska, NC; his seven grandchildren: Maggie Cloyd Chrietzberg, Logan Alexander Scott, Samuel Davis Cloyd, Chloe Elizabeth Hultman, Cullen Thomas Cloyd, Charles Henry Hultman, and Timothy Scott Hultman. He is also survived by Ms. Rebecca Davis of Conway AR, and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nieces and great-nephews and scores of life-long friends. Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Cloyd was born in Nashville TN on March 10, 1930. He is predeceased by his father Coen Carruth Cloyd and mother Sabra Sue Sugg Cloyd of Donelson, TN, his brother Dr. James B. Cloyd of Nashville, TN, and his sister Bettye Cloyd Dunlap of Donelson, TN. He attended Vanderbilt University in 1948, where he played football. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a BS, and there he met his wife Betty. After serving a short stint in the USMC during the Korean War, he graduated from SMU's Perkins Seminary with an M.Div. and was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church. He and his wife served as missionaries, educators, and pastors in the Belgian Congo, Africa, on the Navajo Indian Reservation, where Tom was the superintendent of the Navajo Methodist Mission School, and with the Board of Global Ministries in New York City. He earned a Ph.D. at the in Cross Cultural Education in 1972 at the University of New Mexico. Thomas H. Cloyd lived his faith, loving all people, no matter their station, working to engender understanding across lines of race, gender, culture, nationality, faith, and identity. In 1973, he, Betty, and family returned to the middle Tennessee area. Throughout his ministry, Tom served numerous churches as pastor including: Lakewood UMC (Ohio), Madison Street UMC, McKendree UMC, Springfield First UMC, Belle Meade UMC, and Seay-Hubbard UMC. He also served as Conference Council Director and as District Superintendent for the Tennessee Conference of the UMC. Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Cloyd's faith, spirituality, and theology were miles deep, complex, and inclusive. But he lived out his love for and faith in Jesus Christ in simple and small acts of compassion, not imposing his faith, but by living each day as a strong, bold, unwavering, example of Christ's presence in the world. We will miss him. But God Rejoices! A memorial service will be held at Christ UMC in Chapel Hill, NC at 7pm on Wednesday July 5th. In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to the Tom and Betty Cloyd Scholarship Fund in care of Phillip Jamieson, at the United Methodist Foundation of the Tennessee Conference, 304 South Perimeter Park Dr. Nashville, TN 37211. Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill is serving the Cloyd family.