Statler Family Obituaries
Wills, Thomas David, Jr., Dr.
Dr. T.D. Wills Jr., 89, of Jackson died Sunday, May 10, 2009, in Jackson.
He was born Dec. 15, 1919, in Cape Girardeau, son of Thomas David and Nora Goodson Wills Sr. He grew up in the Daisy and Oak Ridge community on the farm homesteaded by his great-grandfather, David H. Wills in the 1840s.
Wills attended grade school in Daisy, graduated from Oak Ridge High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University 3 1/2 years. He taught at Fulbright School from 1940 to 1941, then worked at Curtis Wright in St. Louis from 1941 to 1942.
He joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1942 and was attached to the U.S. Army Air Corps. After his discharge in 1944, he returned to Curtis-Wright.
Wills entered the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1945, attaining a bachelor of science degree in agriculture and doctorate of veterinary medicine, both in 1950.
He practiced in Daisy and Oak Ridge until 1951, then moved to Cape Girardeau where he practiced until 1955 when he moved to Jackson and practiced until 1962 when he sold his practice to Dr. Nelson Stone.
Wills then went to work for the federal government in animal health until 1973, when he took a position with the state of Missouri in the same capacity, retiring in 1980. After retiring he was the veterinarian for Fruitland Livestock Auction until 1984.
He and Pauline "Polly" Wells were married Dec. 31, 1943. She died Feb. 11, 1999.
Wills was a member of Crossroads Fellowship Church, Elks Lodge 2652, Excelsior Lodge 441 AF&AM, all in Jackson, and Moolah Temple of St. Louis.
Survivors include two sons, Thomas (Kathy) Wills III of Farmington, Mo., Dr. James (Donna) Wills of Jackson; a daughter, Cheryl (Robert) Clingingsmith of Cape Girardeau; 11 grandchildren, Amy Weedman, Amanda (Bryan) Hake, Lindsey (Cody) Eaves, Calen and Cole Wills, David (Suzanne) Puhlman, Julie Puhlman, Kyle and Keely Clingingsmith, Alicia and Jared Riley; and four great-grandchildren, Madison and Jacob Weedman, James and Corinne Puhlman.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home, and Thursday from 9 a.m. to service time at Crossroads Fellowship Church.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the church, with Dr. Brian Anderson officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery with full military honors conducted.
Memorials may be made to Shriners Hospital or Mid America Teen Challenge.
Printed in the Tuesday, May 12, 2009 edition of the Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, MO.
©2009 by David Statler of StatlerWeb
Last Updated: November 08, 2010