Thomas (Tom) Charles Bumgardner, 77, of Lexington MO, passed away peacefully at home on Wed., Sept. 13, 2023, surrounded by his loving family. Tom was born July 8, 1946 in Bremerton, WA. His parents were Liming “Bum”  Bumgardner and Edna Bumgardner. Tom was one of six brothers. He graduated from Moses Lake, WA, High School where he excelled in football, basketball, track, & wrestling. He did the high jump in track and could jump his height at 6’4”. In basketball he was on the bench until his senior year when he got a chance to play when they were over 20 points behind and not much time left in the game. He rallied the team and they almost won. After that he started for the rest of the year and became their top scorer. Tom got a chance to play basketball in college at University of Las Vegas, but after a semester he decided school and classes were not for him and he didn’t have the money to stay either. He dropped out and started delivering mail near the Nevada test range. He tells stories of huge migrations of tarantulas would cover the roads in clouds of black along his route.

The Vietnam war draft was going strong and he worried that he would be drafted, but a recruiter said he could get better positioning if he enlisted for four years. Tom signed up for 4 years with the US Marine Corp. He served 13 months in Vietnam in a fire base working as a Staff Sargent. His first night in Vietnam was in a foxhole during the first Tet Offensive with a machine gunner over his head firing all night. They hadn’t even given him a rifle yet. He had several dangerous experiences, but never had to patrol into the jungle. He said he was treated nicely because he was in charge of everyone’s time off schedule. He was stationed in Kansas City, MO, for the last six months of his service. They offered him more time in the Marine Corp, but it would require another trip to Vietnam, and he decided not to reenlist. This is where he met and married Mary Wilkins, on May 3, 1970. Tom and Mary were married in Las Vegas and had 53 happy years together.

He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant E-5

Navy Achievement Medal with Combat

Combat Action Ribbon

Good Conduct Medal

National Defense Service Medal

Vietnam Service Medal

Vietnam Campaign Medal

Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon

Certificate of Commendation 1st Marine Air Wing

Tom worked for several different companies initially, but found his calling when starting his own electrical business in residential work in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. He learned how to be an electrician by reading and studying the NEC (National Electrical Code). He took all the local and state tests he needed for his business, including his Master Electrician exam as he got into bigger projects. Tom evolved from Tom’s Electric to Bumgardner Electric and doing commercial buildings and municipal water and wastewater plants in MO and KS. He did the electrical for Camden County, MO; Peculiar, MO; Nevada, MO; Odessa, MO; Sedalia, MO; six Missouri Furniture Stores; Hillsdale, KS; and many more large electrical projects with just a handful of people who always said they enjoyed working for him and he was a fair and smart boss. He learned everything through books and by taking things apart and putting them back together, long before the internet was around. If someone argued with him about something not being done right, he would show them he was right by pointing it out in an official book or manual. If you proved him wrong, he would smile and and go, “huh”, while never admitting he was wrong. It was like he was proud of you for proving him wrong.

Tom loved collectable and classic cars. He bought, restored, & sold many beautiful cars throughout his life. His first car was a Model T, and his last ones were a Jaguar, Pontiac Catalina, Pontiac Lemans, MGA, and a Corvette. He was always watching for good buys, and helping his kids & grandkids get their first cars. Tom enjoyed golfing, ping pong, billiards, pool, and telling stories about his past. He especially liked golf and was a member of Lake Valley Country Club for many years and played in the Men’s League every week. He also loved remodeling and building houses. He built or remodeled every home his family ever lived in, and also did renovation projects for friends and family. Tom also enjoyed traveling, and he would take his family on vacation at least once a year, including when he had grandchildren. He would try and bring his immediate family, grandchildren, friends, and all he could get to go. You always knew you were going to stay somewhere nice.

He loved puzzles, crossword puzzles, sudoku, and games like Boggle, Scrabble, and Balderdash.  He always had a book of puzzles and a pen with him when he was relaxing.  He would know all sorts of strange words that the rest of us thought for sure he was making up.  

Tom is survived by his wife Mary, their three children, and nine grandchildren. His son, Thomas Bumgardner II, daughter-in-law Julie, and their children Noah, Sam, Sarah, and Luke, of Independence, MO; His daughter Pamela Turney, son-in-law Brian, and their children Isabella, Nicholas, and Zachary of Grain Valley, MO; His daughter Sandra Reser, son-in-law Gabriel, and their sons Austin and Jesse of Buckner, MO.

Burial in MO Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville MO with military honors.

In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a memorial contribution, please consider the Tunnel 2 Towers Foundation. https://t2t.org

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