Thomas J. Tortorice

Thomas Joseph “TJ” Tortorice, age 65, of Hot Springs, passed away on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020.

He was born on Dec. 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Ala., to Mike and Thelma Tortorice. He was preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, Jimmy Tortorice.

He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Kris Tortorice of Hot Springs; his daughter, Missy (Abram) Spohn of Denver, Colo.; his son, Morgan ( Dolores) Jester of Austin, Texas; two granddaughters, Harper and Hadley Spohn, who were the joys of his life; his brother- in- law, Ritchie ( Angela) Shields of Arkadelphia; two brothers, Sam (John) Tortorice and Tim (Julia) Tortorice, all of Florida; two nieces, Jamie O’Bryant of Texas and Beth Shields of Virginia; and three nephews, Ben Tortorice of Georgia, Matt Tortorice of Alabama and Jake Tortorice of Florida. TJ never met a stranger, and he is also survived by a multitude of friends that he cherished.

TJ got his early education in Birmingham and upon finishing Ensley High School, he received a football scholarship to New Mexico Military Institute. He learned how to make a bed and iron with precision, which would make him the designated bed maker and ironer in his family for the rest of his years! After college, he traveled the world, living in many countries while working on drill ships and in the oil fields. He often referred to those years as “Living like a Rockstar” and also the “Education of a Lifetime,” meeting people from all walks of life and from many different cultures.

When he moved back to the U. S., he owned and operated a convenience store in Athens, Ark. When he met and married Kris, the love of his life and best friend, in 1996, he moved to Glenwood and inherited an instant family that he loved dearly. TJ beamed with pride whenever he spoke about Missy and Morgan, their families or their accomplishments! They moved to Hot Springs in 2005 and TJ sold automobiles until he joined his wife, Kris, in real estate, where his talents and sales ability proved instinctive. He worked as a home plan draftsman for eight years at Forest Lakes and then moved to Lake Hamilton Realty, where he and Kris worked as a team and enjoyed many successful and fulfilling years as Realtors with their Lake Hamilton Realty colleagues, whom he considered family!

TJ had a fun- loving, energetic spirit and if you ever met him, you never forgot him. He loved talking to people and found something interesting about each one. His hobbies included history and travel, and he was always an artist at heart – painting, drawing and sketching everything from abstracts to animals and people. He was a big fan of an inappropriate four letter word, watching old black and white war movies, and he thought a bucket of chicken or pasta with sougal were the best meals in the world. TJ always looked at the world with different eyes than the average person and could have possibly been the most “out of the box” thinker ever! He was truly loved by many and there will be a large void left in the Tortorice family for years to come. He was not a worrier and one of his favorite sayings was “God has always taken care of me and I trust he always will … so why worry?” He will live on, in the hearts of his family, until they are reunited with him again in Heaven.

Memorial services will be planned for a future date.

Arrangements were under the direction of Davis- Smith Funeral Home, Hot Springs.

Guest registry is at http:// www.davis- smith. com.