Dr. Thomas L. Willis

Memorial services for Dr. Thomas L. Willis will be held on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Carpenter’s Way Church, with Pastor Mark Wilke officiating. LiveStream of the service will be through CWBC.org.

Thomas was born in Dyer, Tennessee on April 7, 1945 to Elsie Dodds Willis and Stephen Bennett Willis and was victorious over his four-year journey with Multiple Myeloma on August 21, 2025, surrounded by his loving family.

He had one older brother and was raised on the family farm outside of Rutherford, Tennessee, where he loved the outdoors and also gained compassion at an early age for older adults in the community as well as extended family members who occasionally lived in their home. Following his graduation from Kenton High School in 1963, he attended Union University in Jackson, Tennessee where he met his future wife, Donna Baker. He and Donna were married on July 5, 1968. He enrolled in the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis, receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree in June, 1970 and then completing an additional year of general medicine internship with the City of Memphis Hospitals.

In July, 1971, Dr. Willis was commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force and was sent to Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, Texas as a General Medical Officer. It was toward the end of their tenure there that their son, David, was born and they realized they had put down Texas roots. Thus, at the end of June, 1973, they moved to Galveston for Dr. Willis to pursue an additional three years of training in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch. During this time their daughter, Cindy, was born, many lifelong friendships were formed, and the connection was made that ultimately led them to Lufkin. A group of physicians from the Angelina County Medical Society and their spouses held a “Meet and Greet” at the Flagship Hotel to introduce young physicians to the many advantages of living in the Pineywoods of East Texas—so the move was made in June of 1976—Dr. Willis, wife Donna, three-year-old son, David, and two-month-old daughter, Cindy.

At the same time that the Willis family was moving to Lufkin, another young physician, Dr. Jack Halter, was finishing his Internal Medicine Residency in Nashville, Tennessee, and also making the decision to move to Lufkin, so the two of them became the first Board Certified Internal Medicine physicians in Lufkin—joining the medical practice of Denman, Rowland, and Smith—and later establishing their own practice—Diagnostic Associates of Lufkin—where he cared for numerous patients over his thirty-five years of practice until his retirement in 2011. The Angelina County Chamber honored Dr. Willis in 2018 at their Salute to Healthcare Banquet by presenting him the Lifetime Achievement Award for his service not only in the office and hospital setting, but beyond—President of the Angelina County Medical Society, Chief of Staff at both Lufkin hospitals, state officer with the American Heart Association, and various other school, community and church organizations.

At the center of every decision in his life was his faith in Jesus Christ. Having invited Chist into his life at an early age to be his Lord and Savior, he sought to live his faith not just at Carpenter’s Way where he was an active member, but wherever the opportunity presented itself—serving as Camp Physician one week for Young Life Camp in Windy Gap, North Carolina, volunteering with Amazon Outreach on a medical mission trip down the Amazon River Basin or giving a kind word to the many medical personnel he encountered through his doctoring years and while receiving treatment both in Lufkin and at M D. Anderson Hospital.

Always a learner and a teacher, Dr. Willis’s curiosity extended beyond medicine to include photography and rose-growing, and whether he captured a stunning photographic image or was complimented on a particularly beautiful rose, he was willing to share his knowledge of it—and possibly other things that came to mind. His joy of growing roses was not just for their beauty and uniqueness, but to share with others whenever and wherever the occasions presented themselves—often to the nurses’ stations as he would arrive each morning to make rounds at the hospitals. Special groups that offered him the opportunity to share his knowledge (and stories) were the Angelina Photography Association, Nacogdoches Photography Association, and the Saturday morning group at Pinecrest Retirement Center who met for Coffee and Conversation. Dr. Willis enjoyed many other outdoor activities throughout his life, including hiking, snowshoeing, and fishing, frequently with his camera in tow.

Dr. Willis was preceded in death by his parents, Steve and Elsie Willis, and his brother, Bennett Willis. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Donna Willis; son, David Willis and wife, Amy, of Lufkin; daughter, Cindy Willis of Tyler, Texas; grandson, A J Willis and granddaughter, Katy Beth Willis of Lufkin; other relatives, and a host of friends.

Family Visitation will be held on Wednesday evening, August 27th, at Carroway Funeral Home from 5:00-8:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, N.C. 28607, or Carpenter’s Way Missions Fund, 400 N. John Redditt Drive, Lufkin, TX 75904.

Proverbs 20:7—The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.

Memories and condolences may be added at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.

Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.