Promoted to Glory: Major Thomas Richmond

Major Tom Richmond was Promoted To Glory on February 25, 2023, at age 89 from his home in Tucker, Georgia.

Thomas Henry Richmond was born on January 4, 1934 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to parents Harold and Wilma Richmond. In 1953, he entered the training college in Atlanta as a member of the Shepherds Session of cadets.

After his first appointment to Charleston, West Virginia, Tom married his childhood sweetheart, Dorla Arlene Rohr in 1956. Together they served in corps appointments in in Norfolk, Virginia; Williamson, West Virginia; Hampton, Virginia; followed by appointments in the Georgia Division in Elberton, Gainesville, Warner Robbins, Brunswick, Macon, Toccoa, Atlanta (Fulton), and Rome.

Majors Tom and Dorla Richmond retired from active service as Salvation Army Officers in 1999, after devoting 45 years to the cause of Christ.

Apart from these years of ministry in The Salvation Army, he also served faithfully for 25 years as the State Chaplain for the Georgia Firefighters Association.

They had four children: Christine Carol (Peter) Horn; Major Thomas Henry (Jennifer) Richmond, II; John Harold (Lisa) Richmond; and Elizabeth Anne (Alton) Carter. The Richmonds enjoyed 13 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Major Tom is preceded in death by his loving wife, Major Dorla Richmond in 2007, and by his youngest son, John, in 2022.

Major Tom Richmond loved his family and friends and did all he could to show them how important they were to him. He loved the Lord and was a faithful prayer warrior and soldier until the very end. When he laid down his sword, he left behind a legacy that will continue for years to come.

A Celebration of Life was held at the Gwinnett County Corps in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on March 2, 2023. Graveside service followed at the Westview Cemetery in Atlanta.

—Major Frank Duracher