Thomas Keir Schmuecker

Thomas Keir Schmuecker, 89, passed away on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Tom was born on August 28, 1933, in Blairstown, Iowa, to Ervin and Hazel Keir Schmuecker. He graduated from high school and went on to earn a business degree from the University of Iowa in 1961. He married Shirley Light in 1959 in Iowa and ran the Pinehurst Farms with his brother and father through the 1960's. In 1973, Tom and Ann bought Wapsi Fly and moved to Independence, Iowa, from the farm in Amana, Iowa. They moved the company and the family to Arkansas in 1978, where Wapsi Fly's success has continued. He became actively involved in the community, where he loved serving on the board of Baxter Regional Medical Center from 1986 until he retired in 2016. He was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Mountain Home Rotary Club. Tom served on the American Flyfishing Tackle Manufactures Association Board. He was a recipient of many awards from the Federation of Fly Fishers, including the Lee Wolf Award for Outstanding Fly Fishing Business in 1995. The South Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers awarded Tom with the Fly Tyer of the Year Award.

Tom is survived by four sons, Karl Schmuecker, Joe Schmuecker, John Schmuecker, and Eric Schmuecker; five grandchildren, Emily, E.J., Claire, Zak, and Isabelle; great-grandson, Sebastian; brother, Jim Schmuecker; and sister, Kathryn Dochterman.

He is preceded in death by parents; and wife, Shirley Ann Schmuecker.

Visitation will be Sunday, March 19, 2023, from 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm, at Kirby & Family Funeral Home. A Funeral Service will be held on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 11:00 am at Kirby & Family Funeral Home Chapel, with Pat Neuner officiating. Burial will be in Kirby's Tucker Memorial Cemetery, in Mountain Home, Arkansas, with Bill Barrow, Roger Gavach, T.L. Lauerman, Pat Neuner, Jerry McDonald, and Mike Benton as pallbearers.

Memorial donations may be made in Tom's name to Peitz Cancer Support House at Baxter Health, 628 Hospital Drive, Mountain Home, AR 72653.

Arrangements are by Kirby & Family Funeral and Cremation Services - Mountain Home, Arkansas. Visit an online obituary and guestbook at www.kirbyandfamily.com .