Thomas Max Hargis

THE VILLAGES – Thomas Max Hargis, a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather passed away May 15, 2018 in The Villages, FL. He was the son of William and Maxine (Lang) Hargis of Olean, NY. On July 6, 1957 he married Joan Klink, his high school sweetheart. Surviving besides his wife are a daughter, Vicki Hargis of Gainesville, FL; a son, Kevin Hargis of Olean, NY; three grandchildren, Scott Baham of Gainesville, FL, Paige Baham of Nashville, TN and Nicholas Hargis of Olean, NY; two sisters-in-law, Donna Whitney (Gene) of The Villages, FL and Carol Kuchinski (David) of Blacksburg, VA; nephews, Mark Whitney and Eric and Brad Kuchinski; and a brother, Mark from Georgia. He was a veteran of the Korean War serving in the United States Air Force from 1950-1954. Tom was a member of the First Baptist Church of Olean and upon moving to The Villages joined the North Lake Presbyterian Church. He was employed by the NY Telephone Co. for 33 years as a lineman, cable splicer and board operator retiring in 1987. On April 23, 1985 he received the prestigious NY Telephone Co. Vail Award for saving a Buffalo, NY woman from a house fire during working hours. Mr. Hargis was a Pack Master 87 at School 10 in Olean and Scout Master of Troop 20 at First Baptist Church. Playing fast pitch softball for many years he initiated amateur baseball in Allegany NY, coached Little League in Olean and Midget Football in Olean and Allegany. He was a member of the Olean Elks Lodge 491, NY Telephone Pioneers, Olean Exchange Club, Olean Junior Chamber of Commerce, Allegany Fire Dept., American Legion of Allegany, The Villages Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite of Ocala and Florida High 12 of Lady Lake. Tom spent his free time taping old movies, golfing and landscaping around his home. The family will receive relatives and friends at a visitation to be held at the Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, 1511 Buenos Aires Blvd., The Villages on Sunday, May 20, 2018 from 4 to 7 PM. A Funeral Service will be held on Monday, May 21, 2018, 11:00 AM, at North Lake Presbyterian Church 975 Rolling Acres Rd., Lady Lake. Committal Services with Military Honors will be held on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at Florida National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org) For on-line sentiments visit www.hiers-baxley.com