Thomas Ulmer Sumners (Tom, Tommy), son of Pam Ulmer Sumners Bowers and The Rev. Charles A. Sumners, III, died Sunday, March 13, 2016. He was born on Feb. 25, 1981 in Ft. Worth and attended St. Philip’s Episcopal School and Moreno Junior High in Beeville, St. Stephens Episcopal High School and Anderson High School in Austin. He graduated from Full Sail Academy in Orlando, Florida with an AA degree in Recording Engineering.
He is survived by Pam Ulmer Sumners Bowers, his mother, and her husband, The Rev. Thomas D. Bowers, of Morehead City, North Carolina, and The Rev. Charles A. Sumners, III, his father, and his wife, Robin Woods Sumners, of Cuero, and Charles A. Sumners, IV, his brother, of Pflugerville. He is also survived by aunts and uncles: Thomas Mings Sumners, Paula Sumners, Robert Mings Sumners, Tina Sumners, Susan Sumners, and cousins: Thomas Woodward Sumners, II, Matthew Sumners, Mary Peyton Sumners, and Christina Sumners. He was pre-deceased by his aunt, Thomasina Ulmer Rettberg and his grandparents: The Reverend Charles A. Sumners, Virginia Mings Sumners, Thomas Porter Ulmer, and Alice Palmer Ulmer. He is missed by his many family members and friends.
Tom was a good and difficult son. Good because he could show a great deal of love and had a genius for friendship. Difficult because his lifestyle choices put him in conflict at times with the law, his family, and his own core goodness. He excelled in academics, music, and writing, but when substance abuse became a reality, he said, “I lost my imagination.” The first time he heard the music of “Les Miserables,” he learned all the songs and was fascinated that a story could be told in song. That sparked his interest in Recording Engineering. Tom’s story ended much too soon, but his legacy is still being written.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, April 9 at 2 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Chapel with interment following in the Memorial Garden, 6500 St. Stephens Dr., Austin, Texas 78746.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Thomas Ulmer Sumners Scholarship Fund, St. Philip’s Episcopal School, 105 North Adams St., Beeville, Texas 78102 or to St. Stephens Episcopal School, “In thanksgiving for the life of Tom Ulmer Sumners to benefit the Sumners Family Music Endowment,” 6500 St. Stephens Dr., Austin, Texas 78746.