Thomas Nott Word, Iii

Thomas Nott Word III passed peacefully to be with his Lord on May 21, 2020 after 79 full years of this life. He was born and raised in Tulsa, attending high school at Cascia Hall where he held records as a running back on the football team. After graduating high school, Tom attended the University of Oklahoma and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After attaining an undergraduate degree, he pursued a law degree at Tulsa University but left after two years to begin a career in business. After short stints in the mobile home and burglar alarm business he joined the late Jim Pielsticker in the purchase and building of Arrow Trucking Company. They built a juggernaut from a few trucks into hundreds of company trucks and lease operators. In 1971, upon the culmination of a no compete by his father, T.N Word Jr., with Bendix Corp, he and his father started Word Industries. The core business of WI was prefabricated piping systems of which T III became a master. His gift to gab along with a strong business acumen enabled Word to become one of the paramount fabrication companies in the states. They fabricated pipe for most all major engineering and construction firms building plants for oil & gas, petrochemical, and chemical leaders throughout the U.S. Upon the selling of WIPF to The Shaw Group in 1995, Tom turned his energy to a more relaxed pursuit. He purchased a home on Grand Lake of the Cherokees at auction and soon began accumulating surrounding properties. Soon Apache Coves was born which Tom developed and offered lots for building lake homes across the lake from the prestigious Shangri-La. Upon completion of this endeavor, Mr. Word returned to his love of pipe fabrication in Tulsa. Although his shops were never of the size of the original Word Industries Pipe Fabrication, he was able to dabble in the business he loved so much. It is said he knew more about this business than any of his predecessors and could tell if the shop was humming after hardly a glance. It is a shame he never compiled his notes for others to follow.

Tom loved golf and saltwater sports. He was a single digit handicap at Southern Hills Country Club as well as Cedar Ridge. He built a fishing home in Port O’Connor Texas, where he chased offshore species as well as the best tasting bay varieties. He took his boat to Florida, the Bahamas, and Mexico in search of blue marlin, white marlin, and sailfish for which he became quite renowned. He completed the billfish quad with a black marlin in Panama.

Tom will be missed by his surviving friends, family, and business associates.

He is survived by his wife Teri, a son Brian, a daughter Caron Word Gallen, a granddaughter Hayden Gallen, a grandson Hudson Gallen, and his three sisters Marilyn Choate, Martha Plunk, and Sharron Stuart.

The family requests memorials be made in Tom’s name to an organization Tom felt deeply about, the Tulsa Boys Home, PO Box 1101, Tulsa, OK 74101; Phone 918.245.0231; https://www.tulsaboyshome.org

A Celebration of Tom’s life will be held in the future; Tom’s family will release details once they become available.

Arrangements are entrusted to Schaudt's Tulsa Funeral Service & Cremation Care. Family and friends may send memories and condolences to the family at www.schaudtfuneralservice.com