Tommy Bruce Flud

On August 10, 2021, Tom Flud at the age of 70 left the Flud Farm in Summersville, Mo, and all the endless projects his wife of almost 50 years, Cathy Flud had on her honey-do list for him to complete.

My dad met my mom while she was in high school at the age of 17 years old.  He was her first date and her first kiss. They married after high school, and she was the love of his life for 53 years.  He paid $250 for her wedding ring, and he despised buying jewelry and shopping as it was too expensive and a waste of money.  Well she loved jewelry and shopping so they were quite the match. True story...picking out his casket would have turned into an all day shopping event with my mom until I said what would dad say right now.  My mom said well I am trying to find something he would really like.  We laughed and I said dad would say "come on Cathy does it matter just get the cheapest one".

They had a lifetime of ups and downs but never gave up on their marriage.  They were successful business owners, but lost it all in the 80's during the recession.  They moved from California to Texas for work and he started working in the grocery store.  He would say it was the poorest in their marriage they ever lived when they were in Texas.  They moved back to California and re-built a 1900's home later known to be a haunted house.  The house burned down for unknown reasons after a couple of years and he blamed it on that ghost Amy. Mom and dad lost everything in the fire.  They re-built their lives again in a tiny little cabin in the CA mountains, working side by side.  Dad would say she is the designer and he was the builder and lots of heavy discussion came out of that project but mom was always the winner as she got what she wanted. Family and friends for years enjoyed the beautiful cabin he re-built. They lived a simple life in their cabin and enjoyed their lake home in Bridgeport, TX  until he retired from Betz Laboratories.   Dad was a hard worker and he worked in the fields, packing houses side by side with his mother, Zolene Mallonee from Exeter, CA to make ends meet growing up. His mother adored him and he was the light in her eye until her passing on March 15, 2021.   He was a hard worker often times taking on 2 jobs to make ends meet, and rarely took a vacation.  Well he did that’s when we would paint the house, or do more of moms honey do projects.

In 2020, dad always dreamed of owning a hobby farm, and that dream came true when he left CA and bought 50 acres which he called  "the Flud Farm" in Summersville, MO.  Of course his entire family in CA thought they lost their minds.  They sized up instead of sizing down.  He would say we are not the normal 70 year olds; mom would say we are gypsy's.  The last year of his life was the one of the best years living on the Flud Farm.  He had his "two boys" Tough and T-bone (black angus cows) which were the highlight of his day waking up to their moo's for their morning grain.  He learned to grow rocks in Missouri and would laugh about how much he would pick up rocks and only to later find they keep coming up from the ground.  From sun-up to sun down he could be seen on his tractor, lawn mower, bush hogging, talking with his new Amish friends, and front porch sitting with the love of his life in the evenings watching fire flies, and listening to the bull frogs.  They enjoyed their garden, and their new hobby of canning and freezing all of their crops and would regularly thank God for everything he had blessed them with through the years.

Dad died knowing the song Bad to the Bone was written for the day he was born.  He was strong, movie star handsome, great dancer, motorcycle rider, charismatic, gentleman, that left many standing around in a wild wonder about the life he led and the relationships he had with his mother, wife, children, grand and great-grand children, family, and friends.

Dad was given an offer he couldn’t refuse to take on August 10, 2021 by meeting Jesus face to face for the first time, and being reunited with his mother and his late father, Buddy Flud.  We have lost the love of our lives, and heaven has gained our hero.  We don't say goodbye we say "Dad we will see you later".

He is survived by the love of his life for 53 years Cathy Flud, apple of his eye, Jennifer Castro, his son in law Johnny Castro otherwise known as "hoss".  His son Cory Flud known as "cork", and his wife Melissa Flud.  A total of 5 grandchildren, Alyssa Yardley and her husband Dustin Yardley, Jayden Castro and his love Sky Gluskoter, Melanie Dallman and her husband Steven Dallman, Clay Flud and his love Jessica Kelly, and Tommy Flud.  A total of 10 great grandchildren, Jessica Yardley, Ashlynn known as Ashlee Yardley, Zoey Yardley, Bree Yardley, Bryce Dallman, Ava Dallman, Beau Flud, Felicity Flud, Brantley Flud, and Feenyx Flud.