Thomas M. Pickett

Thomas M. Pickett, 78, of Columbia Station, Ohio, died May 4 in the Sheridan Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Sheridan, Wyo.Mr. Pickett was born Jan. 17, 1933, in Butler, along with his twin brother, William Pickett, to Everton and Ruth (Hepler) Pickett.He grew up and attended schools in the Butler school system and was a valued player on the Butler High School football team. He graduated in 1951. He then went on to the University of Pittsburgh to study sociology.Mr. Pickett joined the U.S. Army and served from March 1953 through March, 1955.He married Mary Kathryn Mohn of Butler, Sept. 14, 1957.Mr. Pickett worked as an industrial engineer for the Ford Motor Co. in Brookpark, Ohio, from 1958 to 1988.Mr. Pickett enjoyed fishing and hunting, and taught a hunter's safety course for many years in Lorain County, Ohio.After retirement from Ford Motor, he spent his summers at East Harbor Marina in Ohio, where he enjoyed fishing on Lake Erie.He was a member of the Lorain County Sheriff's Auxiliary, the Columbia Station VFW Post 9340, the Columbia Game Club and the Al Koran Shriners.Mr. Pickett was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Kathryn.He is survived by three daughters, Elizabeth (Pickett) Karkoff of North Ridgeville, Ohio, Linda (Pickett) and Steve Ryan, of Park City, Utah, and Susan (Pickett) and Mike Hoy, of Sheridan, Wyo.; five grandchildren, Kyle, Laurie and Brian Karkoff, Jarett Hoy and Emerson Ryan; two great-grandchildren, Briella and Kaylah Karkoff; and one brother, William and Eileen Pickett of Bedford, Va.PICKETT - A gathering of family and friends of Thomas M. Pickett, who died Wednesday, May 4, 2011, will be this summer in Ohio to celebrate his life.Donations in memory of Mr. Pickett may be made to the Sheridan Dog and Cat Shelter, 84 E. Ridge Road, Sheridan, WY, 82801 or to the Sheridan Senior Center, 201 Smith St., Sheridan, WY, 82801.