Msgt. Thomas L. "Buck" Kessinger, Usaf (Ret.)

A Purple Heart recipient and Vietnam War veteran, Thomas Louis Kessinger, 82, passed away at The Lodge in Warner Robins, on the morning of Friday, March 5, 2021.

Mr. Kessinger was born on September 3, 1938, in San Francisco, California, to the late Albert Riley and Mary Ethel Hill Kessinger. He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force for 20 years before retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant. After his time in the service, Mr. Kessinger worked for ITT Inc. as a bilingual Telephony Instructor for 5 years before becoming an Intelligence Analyst at Mitre for an additional 20 years. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and enjoyed riding horses, fishing, being outdoors, reading, and music, especially playing the guitar.

His memory will forever be treasured by his adoring wife of 62 years, Shirley Ann Dykeman Kessinger; children, Russell Kessinger (Kim) of Warner Robins; Suzanne Schoales of Oklahoma City, OK; Gail Kessinger; and Linda Astorga (Julio) of Saint Augustine, FL; 15 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and siblings, Maggie Rocha; Helen Zimetz; and Kathy Wood, all of Colorado.

The graveside memorial service celebrating his life will be held at 2:30 CST on Friday, April 2, 2021, at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida, with military honors.

Learn more about the measures McCullough Funeral Home is taking to ensure the health and safety of our guests at www.mcculloughfh.com. There you can also sign an Online Registry for the family. McCullough Funeral Home and Crematory has the privilege of being entrusted with these arrangements.