Thomas Akers

Thomas Akers, 95, passed away on February 4, 2021.  Tom was born March 26, 1925 to Andrew & Dorothy (Wales) Akers in Chicago, IL, but moved as an infant to Cullman AL, where he lived until joining the Army in 1944, where he was a gunner in the 274th Infantry Regiment.  After WWII, he worked various jobs in the Chicago area including Chicago Northwest Railroad and SwissAir (O’Hare).  He married Earlien Johnson and raised four children; Janet (Heitz), Andrew, Susan (Rudman), and Sarah (Sobanski) in the Chicago area. 

After Earlien’s passing, he married Thelma (Dee) Smith in 1970; they had one daughter, Donna (McIntosh).  When Tom retired from SwissAir in 1986, they moved to Princeton, where they became members of the First Baptist Church. Tom joined the choir and greatly enjoyed singing in the various cantatas.  He also worked at Dollar General where Dee was a manager and enjoyed volunteering as a Red Coat at Gibson General.  He was quite proud when he received his 5,000 hr. pin. Tom was a member of the VFW Post 2714 in Fort Branch.

Tom was preceded in death by both wives (Earlien in 1969, Dee in 2017) and his son Andrew Akers (in 2012).  He is survived by his daughter, Janet Heitz of Princeton, IN; daughter Susan Rudman of Dundee, IL; daughter Sarah and husband James Sobanski of Des Plaines, IL; daughter Donna and husband Miles McIntosh of Princeton, IN; and various grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at Colvin Funeral Home in Princeton with Pastor Jim Saunders officiating. Burial will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Poseyville. Military Rites will be provided by the Retired Military Veterans. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until the hour of service on Wednesday at the funeral home. Due to state mandated restrictions from COVID-19, gathering sizes are limited, facial coverings and social distancing are required.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Honor Flight of Southern Indiana, PO Box 8234, Evansville, IN 47716.

You may leave a message of sympathy or light a candle in memory of Tom at www.colvinfuneralhome.com. Colvin Funeral Home is honored to serve the Akers family.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thomas Akers, please visit our floral store.