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Thomas Aaron (Tommy) Climer, 82, died Wednesday morning, January 4, 2023, at
Thomas Aaron (Tommy) Climer, 82, died Wednesday morning, January 4, 2023, atRipley Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, where he received loving care, along with Avalon Hospice.
A celebration of his life will be Sunday, January 8, at Ripley Church of Christ. Visitation is from 1:00-2:30
pm, followed by the funeral at 2:30. A graveside burial service will be held immediately afterward at Asbury
United Methodist Church Cemetery in Ripley.
Mr. Climer was born August 23, 1940, in Covington, Tennessee, to Harry W. Climer and Marjorie Beasley
Climer. He graduated from Ripley High School in 1958, where Mr. Climer was All-Region in both basketball
and baseball. He signed an athletic scholarship with the University of Mississippi and was a left-handed pitcher
for the 1959 and 1960 Southeastern Conference Champions.
He began his working career as a supervisor at Universal Electric in Ripley. He fell in love with Linda
Tillman upon his return to Ripley, and after their first date at the Mid-South Fair in Memphis, they married on
February 23, 1962, at Ripley Church of Christ.
He moved his young family to Memphis in late 1964 and began a rewarding career in management with Dial
Finance, which became Norwest Financial. After working in both Memphis and Nashville, Mr. Climer was
named the manager of a new company office in Southaven, Mississippi in 1969. His leadership led to that
location’s recognition for several years as the #1 performing office among the hundreds of Dial offices
throughout the United States. After his children finished high school in 1984, he accepted district managerial
roles with the company in both Jackson, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
In later years, Mr. Climer worked in several banking roles in the Memphis area, including Farmers Union
Bank and First Tennessee Bank. Upon his retirement in Ripley, he accepted a role as bailiff for the Lauderdale
County court system, which included responsibilities in counseling troubled youth.
He was active in churches in all the communities in which he lived, primarily at Holmes Road Church of
Christ in Memphis and at Ripley Church of Christ. Mr. Climer served as a deacon and as a Sunday School
teacher among his several roles. He was a longtime member and former officer of the Rotary Club of
Southaven. Mr. Climer was active with the Southaven Chamber of Commerce, serving as its president in 1973.
His proudest civic achievement was serving on the Southaven committee which, after many years, successfully
obtained the county’s first hospital, Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto.
He was active in sports throughout his life, including playing nationally competitive semi-pro baseball with
Nashville Sporting Goods, then S&W Construction in Memphis. He “retired” from baseball before the 1971
season to help coach his son’s first team. Mr. Climer enjoyed playing golf and church league softball and
basketball for many years thereafter. He was successful as a youth baseball coach, including several years with
the Ig-Lo Rebels in the Connie Mack league, from which dozens of young men from Northwest Mississippi
received scholarships to play college baseball. Mr. Climer was a member of the M-Club Chapter of the Ole
Miss Alumni Association and was an original and longtime member of the university’s Ernie Labarge Bullpen
Club. Besides being a longtime season ticket holder for Ole Miss sports, he also was a lifelong fan of the St.
Louis Cardinals.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Harry W. Climer, Jr., and Steve Climer.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Tillman Climer; son, Tim Climer and his wife Stacy of Ridgeland,
Mississippi; daughter, Lori Hanna and husband Earl of Franklin, Tennessee; five grandchildren, Barrett C.
Wilson (Beau), Anne Marie Hanna, Abbey Climer, Alden Climer, and Conrad Hanna; two sisters, Linda Shelton
of Franklin, and Margaret Whiticker of Gallatin, Tennessee. Mr. Climer also leaves many nieces, nephews,
other relatives, and many friends.
Memorials may be sent to Ripley Church of Christ, P.O. Box 464, Ripley, TN 38063, or Asbury Cemetery
Association, 2870 Asbury Glimp Rd., Ripley, TN 38063
