Thomas Ross Pickrell

Pickrell, Thomas Ross, was the most impressionable person in my entire life. Not only do I love Tom and always will, he was my very best friend. Tom has a very unique past that I would like to pass on to all. When Tom was approximately 6 years old he was diagnosed with Polio. Toms dad, Lloyd Pickrell, the owner of Pickrell Oil Company, was out in Western Kansas on a rig. There was a tremendous snow storm and they were hole up in a “dog house” with nothing but sardines and a few Oreo cookies. He had no knowledge that Tom was near death! Joyce Pickrell was using the research of Dr. Scott and Dr. Hinshaw and they had the idea that if they took a recovering Polio victim and performed a blood transfusion that this would bring Tom out of the state he was in ~ ordering up the iron lung! Amazingly enough, Tom was one of the first receiving the Polio vaccination through this method. Tom is a walking miracle. Tom went to Alcott School and made many friends that survive him. He then went on to Southeast High School and had still recently kept in contact with some of these friends. Later he went to Pittsburg State College to become a master car mechanic. Tom was very interested in car racing of which he had a street car that he raced very often and went on to own a top fuel car, “the Gold Dust”. His last race, the “Gold Dust” was wrecked and the next day he was drafted into the Armed Services. Tom put in for Hawaii as a joke, but was soon sent to Southeast Asia, Da Nang, Dokto and Dok Pec. He was in the service for approximately 18 months, and then was “Honorably Discharged”. He first met his wife, Patricia Pickrell at her sisters wedding, Tom being best man and Patricia was matron of honor. Several years later, Tom and Pat met up again all grown up and they were married August 2, 1969, at St. Johns Church in Clonmel, KS. They went on to have a daughter, Jennifer Pickrell Dorsey, three years later. Tom went to business college early on and he and his wife were very involved with Project Concern, Kansas Right to Life and St. Judes Hospital. Tom managed Dunkin Donuts for 4 years in Wichita and did various other jobs ending with working with the City Bldg. Court System as a Bailiff working for Gerald L. McDow, Judge Rattner and Judge Julie Connelly to name only a few. Tom was diagnosed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 2004 with Multiple Sclerosis and finally died January 1, 2010 from complications at one of his homes in Allenspark, CO with his wife, Patricia. Tom and Patricia were married 40 years. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, daughter, Jennifer Dorsey, grandchildren, Oakley Hearne, Ashton Hearne, and Piper Dorsey of Wichita and sister, Patricia Smith Bellis of Las Vegas, NV. We will truly miss Tom and will keep him alive with us each day of our lives. We love you Tom! Visitation with the family will be 6-8:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 13 at Downing Lahey Mortuary East. Rosary and Mass will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday, January 14, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Military burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery. Memorials have been established with St. Jude Childrens Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 88105 and Multiple Sclerosis Research Foundation, PO Box 1284, Perth Amboy, NJ 08862. Visitation with the family will be 6-8:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 13 at Downing Lahey Mortuary East. Rosary and Mass will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday, January 14, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Military burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery.