Thomas Richard (Vessels) Sommerkamp was born June 27, 1941, to Adele (Shores) and Harry Vessels in St. Charles County, Missouri. Thomas's father was killed during World War II and his mother later married Charles Sommerkamp. They adopted one another's children.

Tom learned to hunt at an early age, and it grew into a lifelong passion. He also learned to work from a farmer, John Jost, as a young teen. His undying respect for John led to a second lifelong passion for farming.

Tom attended Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University), earning a bachelor's degree in 1963. At that time, he also married Margaret Patricia (Patty) Sawyer and they had two children. In July 1963 he joined the United States Marine Corps, which became his third passion. After leaving the Marine Corps in 1966, he returned to NMSU in 1968, earning his master's degree in Counseling. He then attended Missouri University, earning his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1972.

After graduation, Tom moved his family to Warrensburg and served as a Psychology professor at Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri) for 30 years until retiring in 2002.

For many years, Tom acted as an unofficial recruiter for both the Marine Corps and the University of Central Missouri.

In January 1987 he married Kathleen (Kathy) Cook and became a stepfather to her three children. Tom and Kathy eventually added three more children to their family.

Thomas was predeceased by his father Harry, mother Adele, stepfather Charles, brother Charles Wayne ("Chuck") Sommerkamp, son Thomas Buckley ("Buck") Sommerkamp, and grandson Nathaniel Scott Haycraft.

He is survived by his loving wife, Kathy, and children, Margaret Anne "Meg" (Daniel) Brigman, Benjamin Adam (Christine) Cook, Rebecca Anne (Steve) Jones, Matthew Thomas (Jessica) Cook, Sarah Elizabeth (Trinidad Raj) Molina, Jessica Lynne Sommerkamp, Kimberly Elaine Sommerkamp, son-in-law John Yuelkenbeck, eleven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild; his siblings, Robert Michael (Joyce) Sommerkamp, John Rudolph (Sherry) Sommerkamp, sister-in-law Linda Sommerkamp, and Annette Louise Sommerkamp (Steven Osterling).

Funeral services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Williams Funeral Chapel in Warrensburg, Missouri. Interment will follow at the Nelsonville Baptist Cemetery in Nelsonville, Missouri.