Mr. Thomas Alexander Beaty

Thomas Alexander Beaty, 84, passed away in Auburn, AL, on Saturday, February 22, 2020.  He was born in Hanover, AL, on October 29, 1935.  Visitation will be held Monday, February 24, 2020, from 5-7 PM CST at Jeffcoat Trant Funeral Home, Opelika, AL.  Funeral services will be held at Auburn United Methodist Church on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 11:00 AM CST with Dr. Cory Smith, Dr. George Mathison and Dr. Alex Howell presiding.  Graveside services will be held at Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, AL at 3:00 PM CST.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Cary Harper and Ruth Neighbors Beaty, infant son Thomas Joel Beaty, and sisters, Agnes Johnson, Louise Hickey, Margaret Ruth Beaty, Sarah Tuck, Evelyn Thomas, and Dorothy Reynolds.

Tom graduated from Goodwater High School and served proudly in the United States Army.  He then completed a B.A. in Agricultural Education from Auburn University in 1962 where he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.  Tom was a member of Auburn United Methodist Church and the McGhee-Lacy Sunday school class.   As a respected leader and innovator in the peanut industry, Tom was awarded the Peanut Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and was inducted as a member of the Alabama Agricultural Hall of Honor in 2004.  His love for business and the peanut industry was only surpassed by his love for friends, the Auburn Tigers, and his beloved family. 

Tom is survived by his devoted wife, Kay Reynolds Beaty, his daughters, Susan Bowden, and her husband, Johnny, of Valdosta, GA, and Stacey Freeman, and her husband, Andy, of Auburn, AL.  He is also survived by sister Julia Stowe and brother C.H. Beaty.  He was devoted Papa to his grandchildren, Kelley Stinson, Karley Cherry, Kristina Mulligan, Katy Thomas, Kathryn Kim, and great grandchildren, Jackson Stinson, Jacob Stinson, Keyton Thomas, Molly Mulligan, Cruz Kim, Marshall Mulligan, and Eila Kim.  In addition, he has several nieces and nephews across the country.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Storybook Farms.

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and Crematory directing.

www.jeffcoattrant.com