Thomas Wright Tutt

Thomas Wright Tutt, age 81, of Mattoon, Illinois, died at 8:15 p.m. Friday, November 4, 2011, at home surrounded by his family and friends. \r\nMitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, 1200 Wabash Avenue in Mattoon, Illinois, 61938, will host services honoring and celebrating his life at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 9, with Rev. Ken Hutchens officiating. Following the Services entombment will be at Mound Cemetery, Charleston, Illinois. Masonic Services will be held at 5:30 p.m. on November, 8, 2011, at the Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, Mattoon, Illinois. Visitation for the public will be held Tuesday, November 8, 2011 from 6-8 p.m. Memorials can be made to the Shriner's Hospital for Children.\r\nMr. Tutt was born in Seven Hickory Township of Charleston, Illinois on February 21, 1930 a son of Robert Bruce and Stella May Swango Tutt. He married Jane Elizabeth Hall of Paris, Illinois, on May 30, 1951 in Corinth, Mississippi, she survives. \r\nSurviving family members include his four children, Timothy Tutt of Mattoon, Illinois, and fianc' Anita Daubs of Lerna, Illinois, Tyler Tutt of Mattoon, Illinois, Tamyre Diamond and husband Mark of Portland, Oregon, and Paul and Chrissy McKillip of Mattoon, Illinois; five grandchildren, Joseph Tutt on duty with the USMC, Jessica Tutt of Mattoon, Illinois, Moorea and Breea Diamond of Portland, Oregon, and Kyle Daubs of Lerna, Illinois; two sisters, Thelma Bartimus and husband Chuck of Mattoon, Illinois, and Juanita Woods and husband Leon of Phoenix, Arizona; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Mr. Tutt was preceded in death by his sister Roberta Gibbons and husband Jim; and one infant sibling.\r\nMr. Tutt grew up in Charleston, Illinois, where he was a member of the Class of 1947. While in high school, Tom bought a delivery truck and spent much of his time hauling items for many people. His first job was working for Bob Ruple at the Feed & Grain in Charleston, Illinois. Soon after, Tom moved to Kentucky to haul coal and iron, then returned to Charleston, Illinois.\r\nHe then hauled prefab homes from Mississippi to Illinois. Mr. Tutt then met the love of his life, Jane Elizabeth Hall. They eloped to Corinth, Mississippi, in 1951, and set up their home in Effingham, Illinois, shortly after.\r\nLater, Tom worked for Effingham Poultry and Egg where he would take eggs and deliver chickens. Many times he took a load of chickens to the stock yards in Chicago. \r\nMr. Tutt moved to Mattoon, Illinois, in 1955 and worked for A & B Transfer Trucking, where he met many of his lifelong friends. He worked for Bowen Transport before starting Mattoon Excavating with Henry Hall. They later bought Service Equipment in Mattoon, the local Case Franchise. Later, they formed Service Disposal. A decade later, they formed Service Equipment Transport with Billy Hall. The proudest business accomplishment Thomas had was the hundreds of people he had brought together and who have remained business associates and close friends because of him and their relationship with Service Equipment Co.\r\nIn a newspaper article as Mr. Tutt approached age 70, and after 30 years in business, Tom Tutt figured it was time for someone else to be in charge. 'I'm getting old enough, this needs to go over to somebody younger,' Mr. Tutt was quoted as he decided to pass the torch. Birkey's Construction Equipment Co., a division of Birkey's Farm Store Inc., purchased the business with responsibility for the Case Corp. equipment. \r\nMr. Tutt was a Master Mason and lifetime member of Lodge #260 in Mattoon; a 32nd Degree Mason and lifetime member of the Danville Consistory in Danville, Illinois; a lifetime member of the First United Methodist Church in Mattoon, Illinois; a member of the Board of Directors of the former Mattoon Bank; a lifetime member of the Ansar Temple in Springfield, Illinois; past director and major fundraiser of the Corn Belt Shriner's Club, and one of the founding members of the Corn Belt's Shriner's Cycle Patrol. \r\nPlease visit www.mitchell-jerdan.com to light a virtual candle or share a memory with the family. \r\n

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Thomas Wright Tutt

February 21, 1930 - November 4, 2011