James Thomas (T.R.) Rollins

James Thomas  (T.R.) Rollins, 68, passed peacefully from this earth on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. Tom was a people person who could talk to anyone and who loved to share stories of all kinds.

Born in Jackson, MS, on August 1, 1953, to parents Robert and Ruby Wright Rollins, Tom spent his younger years playing with his three brothers, sister, and many, many cousins in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. He honed his love for baseball playing with the East Brainerd Little League in Chattanooga and lived on his bicycle, riding all over with his best friend and younger brother, John. 

Moving to Idaho at 13 with his dad and brothers John and Joe, Tom continued playing baseball and grew to love the Idaho outdoors, spending many days camping in the Stanley Basin. One of Tom’s favorite places was the Sockeye Campground at Redfish Lake. 

An excellent cook from the time he was a child, he made a career out of his talents, working all over the Boise area. Though soups and sauces were his specialties, Tom could make anything and was the envy of other campers when he set up a kitchen in his campsite and treated his family to delicacies such as crepes and bacon-wrapped filet mignon cooked over a campfire. 

Tom married Judy Lawrence in June of 2001, and together they enjoyed hosting BBQs for family and friends for many years. They moved to Oregon in 2012 where they lived until earlier this year when they came back to Meridian to be closer to family.

Tom will be remembered as a loyal friend and a great softball player who loved Rock & Roll music, auto racing, building model cars, Little League baseball, and Boise State football. He was a wonderful brother, uncle, and cousin. He is survived by his wife Judy and their beloved dog Molly, brothers Bob of Calhoun, Georgia, John (Kim) of Boise, and Joe (Annie) of Boise, his nephews Shelby Rollins, Caleb Rollins, Joshua Rollins, and Larry Chambers, nieces Rachel Rollins, Jessica Widmer, and Erin Rollins, six great-nieces, two great-nephews, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. 

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, sister Beverly Rollins, step-brother Dennis Ward, sister-in-law Sandra Rollins, and dear cousins, aunts, and uncles. We know there is a precious reunion happening beyond the stars.

A celebration of life is being planned with notifications placed on social media once the family has made arrangements.