Dr. Thomas Joseph Ferrell Jr., 90, of Waycross, beloved physician, husband, father and friend, answered the call of God Sunday, June 18, 2023, after a brief illness.
Dr. Ferrell was born in Waycross on April 28, 1933, to Dr. Thomas Joseph Ferrell Sr. and Flora Conoly Ferrell.
He married Joy Beason July 22, 1961, and in marriage they remained a happily devoted, committed and vibrant couple until his death.
Dr. Ferrell – Tombo, Tommy or Tom to family and friends – graduated from Waycross High School, where he played football and compiled a standout academic record. He stayed in touch with football teammates and school classmates throughout his life. After foregoing his senior year of high school, he enrolled in Hampden-Sydney College, where he graduated in 1954 as valedictorian. He entered the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta the following year, graduating in 1958, or, as he often relayed, the first year Arnold Palmer won The Masters.
He served his residency at University Hospital in Birmingham, AL, where he met his bride, Joy, a nursing student. They married in Panama City, FL, and the following year welcomed the first of their three children, Tommy. Following completion of his residency, he joined the Air Force as a captain, serving from 1962-1964 at Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, CA. A second son, Scott, arrived during their stay. After his discharge, the young Ferrell family returned to his hometown of Waycross, where he joined his father in medical practice. A daughter, Sarah, often described as her parents’ reward for raising Tommy and Scott, soon followed.
An internist renowned throughout the South for his astute consultations and accompanying diagnoses, Dr. Ferrell was a member of the American Medical Association and the American Society of Internal Medicine. He spent several terms as Chief of Staff at Waycross Memorial Hospital and remained in private practice in Waycross until 1999. He then went to work for the Medical College of Georgia, providing medical services for the Georgia Department of Corrections, a job he loved for the balance of his career.
A devout Christian, he was a member of the First Methodist Church of Waycross, where he served in a variety of official and unofficial positions. When once commended for his willingness to step in as an “elder” advisor in church matters, he quipped, “what else can you be when you are elderly?!”
He and Joy, and the entire Ferrell family loved travel, whether the short drives to Fernandina Beach, a family road trip odyssey to Colorado in 1976, winter escapes to Beech Mountain in North Carolina, a memorable Jamaican getaway, Georgia football games or the numerous trips Tom and Joy took with friends, traveling engaged his sense of history and adventure. Those shared journeys also brought the family close together, as it remains today.
Golf occupied a treasured space in his life. A longtime member of Okefenokee Country Club, he played and competed with friends until his sons became his most frequent and cherished golf partners. Later, they added Sarah’s husband, Chuck, to the family foursome – and subsequently into the family itself, and those rounds brought him immense joy. He was an accomplished player in his own right. In his final round, in May of this year, he bested his age by four shots with an 86 that he claimed could have been several shots lower if the putter had been working! His legendary “pearls of wisdom” regarding the golf swing will be the subject of consternation and revelation for generations to come.
An avid football fan, he steadfastly followed his Georgia Bulldogs through thick and thin and finally found a quarterback he could fully support during the National Championship runs of the past two seasons.
But all passions paled to his love and affection for his seven grandchildren. Papa and Kiki wore a groove in the asphalt on the roads to Athens and St. Simons, and accumulated frequent flyer miles to Colorado, to celebrate birthdays, football games, cheer nights, dance recitals, plays, an Eagle Scout ceremony and a joyful late-life arrival of the seventh grandchild in 2021. With Joy, he was a fixture at all significant events in their grandchildren’s lives and was beloved by the grandchildren and their many friends. He attended graduation festivities this spring, even as illness began to slow him, and his pride in his children and grandchildren was bottomless.
A sister, Flora Ferrell McClarin, preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife, Joy, and their three children, Thomas Joseph Ferrell III and his wife Ashley, Denver, CO, Scott Franklin Ferrell and his wife Glenn, St. Simons Island and Sarah Ferrell Jordan and her husband Chuck, Athens; seven loving grandchildren – Mason and Ashton Ferrell (TJF III), Lillie and Frank Ferrell (Scott) and Joe, Maggie and Sadie Jordan (Sarah); his brother, Will Ferrell (Sharon), Camarillo, CA; a special sister-in-law, Wanda Griffith, St. Simons Island, and numerous nieces, nephews and close relatives.
A celebration of his life will will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 22, from the First United Methodist Church in Waycross.
A reception will follow in the church social hall. Dr. Ferrell touched many people in his long and fruitful life and all are welcome to join with the family in commending his wonderful spirit to Heaven.
The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the medical professionals, staff at Piedmont Regional Hospital in Athens and Hospice Satilla for their loving care, support, and encouragement.
Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Waycross, 410 Williams Street, Waycross, Georgia 31501 or Hospice Satilla, 808 Evergreen Way, Waycross, Georgia 31501.
Sympathy may be expressed by signing online at www.milesodumfuneralhome.com.
Miles-Odum Funeral Home of Waycross is in charge of arrangements.
