Thomas Russell Boughnou Jr.'s Obituary
Thomas Russell Boughnou, Jr. was welcomed into Heaven by Jesus Christ on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. Thomas or ‘Tom’ as he was known by his family and friends, was born November 28, 1956 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the first born to Sylvia and Russell Boughnou, Sr. During Tom’s young life, the family moved from Atlanta, Georgia to Framingham, Massachusetts, then to Orlando, Florida, before settling in Richardson, Texas. Tom attended Richardson schools, including J. J. Pearce High School, graduating class of 1975.
Shortly after high school, Tom joined the United States Navy. He spent time in Portsmouth, Virginia, Long Beach, California and served aboard the USS Hull DD (945). While serving in the Navy, yet home for a short visit, Tom met Theresa Marie Henry (Terri). It was love at first sight for both of them. They were inseparable and married on February 21, 1979 in Plano, Texas.
After Tom’s honorable discharge from the Navy, Tom and Terri came back to Texas. Terri attended Texas Woman’s University to study nursing, while Tom began his career. Tom, being extremely bright and always a perfectionist found an impeccable fit in the architectural hardware industry. Most of his career was spent with Hidell Hardware in Dallas. In 2008, Tom opened his own business as the original Hidell Hardware closed its doors. Tom continued the design and implementation of architectural hardware for many of Hidell customers. Tom worked alongside some of Dallas’s most well-known architects, designers and builders.
Tom and Terri have two sons, Thomas Russell Boughnou, III and William Christopher Boughnou. As a family, they enjoyed summer time at the lake. Tom’s refuge was to be by the water. There were many outings for camping, water skiing, fishing and time together in the sun. Their absolute favorite spot was campsite A31 at Pat Mayse West. Tom loved to cook (one of his main jobs in the Navy). Whether at the lake or at home, every night was a family dinner, spent at the kitchen table!
Tom was our ‘go to’ man for anything dealing with construction or equipment rebuild. Not only did Tom completely remodel his own home, but spent many hours assisting his brothers and sister with their construction projects. He designed and rebuilt the kitchen of all his siblings’ homes, the majority of his brother Kenny’s home and helped with all architectural decisions.
Tom was ‘always there’ to lend a helping hand. There are so many family stories of Tom coming to the rescue. Not only was his immediate family his priority, but all those that knew him. He was very giving of his time, talent and efforts. He was there, day or night, to repair whatever broke, answer any question or to lend an ear to someone in need.
Tom lived a quiet and private life. Not many knew of his true passions. He had several hobbies outside the family, including cars, motorcycles, guitars and music. Tom rebuilt a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible for his mother and father for their 35th wedding anniversary. He also rebuilt his sister’s 1965 Mustang coup for his eldest son, Russell. He had just finished a 1982 Ford truck at the time of his passing for his son, Christopher. Tom had a collection of motorcycles, including British and Japanese bikes that were all maintained and serviced by him and were in flawless condition. If Tom had a hand in anything, you better believe, “no shortcuts were taken” he would often say. Being a connoisseur of sound, he enjoyed collecting guitars and record albums. Tube amps and classic speakers were always playing in the house.
Tom is survived by his wife of 43+ years, Terri Boughnou; his two sons, Thomas Russell Boughnou, III (Russell) and William Christopher Boughnou (Chris); sister, Karen Boughnou; brothers Steven Douglas Boughnou (Steve) and wife Stephanie and Kenneth Alan Boughnou (Kenny); brothers-in-law, Tom Henry and family, Paul Henry and Jim Henry; sisters-in-law, Sharon Carpenter and family and Kathy Thurman and family; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held in the near future.
Funeral arrangements for Thomas Russell Boughnou have been faithfully entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery, which is located at 13005 Greenville Ave., at the intersection of Restland Road, Dallas, Texas 75243, and can be reached at (972) 238-7111.
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