- Date Of Birth: May 12, 1934
- Date Of Death: January 26, 2022
- State: Georgia
Thomas M. Lukens, 87, passed away Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at his Newnan home. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Shirley, four children and two step-children: Rebecca Johnson (Alan) of Owensboro, KY; Kelli Yeager-Nelson of Newnan, GA; Thomas M. Lukens, Jr (Lisa) of Austin, TX; Steven Lukens of New York City, NY; W. Shawn Yeager (Dr. Kim) of Newnan, GA; and Julie Foght (Jim) of College Station, TX. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren; his brother, Rev. Dr. Michael Lukens (Barbara) of Oneida, WI; and sister, Nancy Morgan of Destin, FL. He is predeceased by his brother, Horace M. Lukens, III of Evansville, IN. Mr. Lukens was born on May 12, 1934, in Detroit, MI, the son of H. Melvin Lukens, Jr. and Louise W. Lukens. In January 1936, Mr. Lukens’ parents moved to Evansville, IN where he grew up. He graduated from Bosse High School in 1952, the University of Evansville in 1957 with a B.S. in Business, and Indiana University in 1960 with an MBA. Although he began his professional life at an accounting firm, he spent most of his career in the property & casualty insurance industry where he was a well-known agency management speaker, served as CEO of an agency management computer system vendor in Emeryville, CA, and acted as CFO of a large commercial independent insurance agency in Alexandria, VA before retiring in 1998. Mr. Lukens and his wife moved to Newnan, GA in 2005 where he was an elder of Newnan Presbyterian Church and member of the Rotary Club of Newnan. He served on several civic and charitable boards including the Coweta Samaritan Clinic, Keep Newnan Beautiful, and the Newnan Centre. Friends and business associates knew him as a man of integrity, kindness, and humility. Those who loved him most knew him as Dad, Babe, and Papa “T”, and will remember him for so many small things: his silly puns and great sense of humor; his objections to participating in most things outdoors and organized family activities, but real delight in having done so; his love of reading, especially romance novels because they had happy endings; his glee at surprising his wife with unexpected gifts; and his jokes about his stage name, Luke Thomas. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren, often reminding them that their actions and words within their personal sphere of influence impacts the world more than they will ever know.
