Thomas Earl Shown

Thomas Earl Shown, of Winston-Salem, died peacefully on Wednesday, April 6, 2016. He was surrounded by friends and family in a room full of love. Tom was born to Marguerite and Edgar Shown on August 25, 1935, in Owensboro, Kentucky. He had a happy small-town childhood, with many hours at the local fishing hole, and countless milkshakes and unabashed flirting at Shown's Sundries, the downtown drugstore and soda fountain owned by his older cousin, Coy Shown. One of the first in his family to pursue a college education, Tom attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington with the intention of becoming a pharmacist. He studied hard, got good grades, and family lore tells us that during a conversation among a few male friends and family members biding time in a duck blind, it was decided that ""Tommy"" might just be smart enough to be a doctor. Tom agreed to change his major to pre-med, attended medical school at the University of Louisville, and embarked on a medical career as a urological surgeon that challenged and inspired him, and helped him forge deep and lasting friendships with both colleagues and patients. After enlisting in the Army, Tom's early medical training took him and his family to Fort Knox, KY, the Presidio in San Francisco, and on to Landstuhl, Germany. It was on the European ski slopes that Tom discovered his love for downhill skiing, which became a life-long passion and - along with kayaking - an adventurous and joyous way of spending time with friends and family. Upon leaving the military in 1970, Tom and his family moved to Winston-Salem, NC, where he joined a urological practice that became Lyndhurst Urological Associates and practiced medicine locally until he retired in 2000. Tom will be remembered for his lively spirit, generous nature, and perhaps above all his passionate appreciation of being, as he so often put it, ""above ground."" He deeply relished the gift of another earthly day, and encouraged the rest of us to do so as well. He loved communal gatherings, fine food and whisky, stimulating conversation, small friendly wagers on just about anything, and offering advice to loved ones in need. Tom leaves us with happy memories of shared adventures, succulent dinners, lively debates…and, yes, a few pieces of advice that most of us will keep in our back pockets, just in case. Preceding Tom in death are his parents, his son Steve Shown, and his daughter-in-law Penny Shown. Tom leaves behind his son and daughter Marc Shown and Leslie Shown; his three grandsons Finn, Lucas, and Walker Voichick; his son-in-law Jon Voichick; his decade-long-love and devoted partner Anna Smith; mother of his three children and dear friend Scharme Shown; many deeply loved cousins and friends; and his faithful and heart-broken hound Tiger. We will be celebrating Tom's life at the Tanglewood Barn at 2:00 pm on Sunday, April 17, 2016, and invite you to join us. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the The Winston-Salem Foundation: Thomas E. Shown, M.D. Scholarship Fund (c/o The Winston-Salem Foundation, 751 West Fourth Street, Suite 200, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101) or to the MD Anderson Cancer Center at https://gifts.mdanderson.org. Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel is assisting the Shown family. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.