Tom Epperson

On Friday evening, January 2, 2015, Tom Leo Epperson was welcomed into Heaven by his loving parents and older siblings.

Tom grew up on a small farm in Magnolia, Iowa, and met his wife in a small town in the Magnolia state. His life was as steady as a Magnolia tree and as tender as a Magnolia bloom.

Born June 30, 1936, to Roy and Nellie Cody Epperson, Tom was the youngest of 11 children. He is survived by his sister Eileen (Richard) Smith of York, Nebraska. On his family farm, a relentless work ethic was instilled into his soul that would never leave him. In the drafty but sturdy confines of his childhood home, the importance of putting family first was ingrained into his heart and would never be forgotten.

Tom attended the University of Iowa on an ROTC scholarship and graduated with honors from the prestigious Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Fulfilling his service commitment, he attained the rank of Captain in the United States Army.
Following graduation, Tom found work in the small town of Poplarville, Mississippi as editor of the American Tung Oil Association magazine. It wasn't always easy for a Yankee living in Mississippi, but after meeting and marrying a Belle named Ramona Burrow, he would never again live outside the South. They would have celebrated their 50th Anniversary on February 27.

In Poplarville, Tom started his family and also a new profession. After forming a stock-picking club with his weekend drinking companions, he discovered a knack for researching publicly-traded companies. His successful track record picking stocks and his taste for opportunity led the man with the journalism degree to pursue a new career in equity research. He convinced the head of equity trading at the brokerage firm of Howard Weil in New Orleans to hire him as the new director of research. He rose to the position of vice president and spent the rest of his career improving his craft.

Tom's greatest gift was his mind. A member of Mensa, he delighted in opportunities to solve problems and explain the complex. His greatest skill was writing; from songs and poems to research reports and essays, his ability to connect words, tell stories and evoke emotions was magical. And his greatest blessings were his wife Ramona, children Elise (Eddie) Deano of Long Beach, Miss., and Eric (Susan) Epperson of Memphis, and grandchildren Jake Epperson, Sarah Deano, Claire Epperson, Bryce Deano and Joseph Deano.

During his lifetime, the boy from Magnolia, Iowa, visited 49 U.S. states and five countries around the world. He caught more than 100 species of fish and attended more than 35 New Orleans Saints games. He wrote two songs that were recorded and produced and was included twice in Penthouse magazine (for interviews about the stock market, not his photos). He beat the darts twice in the Wall Street Journal stock-picking competition and out picked the stock monkey in USA Today.
Tom was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Germantown, Tenn.