Thomas "T.R." Remington, 81, passed peacefully on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, with his wife and children gathered close. It was, as he might say, "a good day to go to glory." He was a legal resident of Pensacola; however, in his heart he never left Fort Walton Beach or his home on Garnier's Bayou.

T.R. was born September 16, 1943, in Keyser, WV, to Charles LeGrand Remington and Frances Ann Timbrook. At the time, his father, Charlie, was serving in the South Pacific as an underwater welder with the Navy Seabees. Little T.R. didn't meet his father until he was three, which may explain his lifelong fondness for reuniting with people, and his impatience with lateness. After the war, the family moved to Florida to seek its fortune, and T.R. never again lived beyond the borders of the Sunshine State - though he did once run away to Puerto Rico at age 15, having convinced himself he could make it as a bartender. The enterprise fizzled out, and Charlie graciously paid for the return trip.

T.R. graduated from Cocoa High School in 1962, where he was voted "Most Popular" and "Most Fun," which tells you most of what you need to know about his high school years. He went on to Florida Southern College on an ROTC scholarship and joined Sigma Chi, where he majored in "drinking beer" and minored in "pursuing co-eds." He graduated in 1966 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army. After jump school at Fort Benning, he was sent to Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

In Vietnam he led an infantry platoon in-country for a little over six months. In late November 1967 he was seriously wounded during the battle for Hill 875 near Dak To - one of those long, violent, and fierce affairs that doesn't leave a man unchanged. He came home heavier in medals (a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, and the Combat Infantryman Badge) and lighter in illusions, though he never lost his humility or sense of humor. His valor in combat has been chronicled in several books and documentaries.

Following eight months in military hospitals he was honorably discharged and applied to law school at Florida State University College of Law. To his great surprise, he was accepted! At Florida State, he met Dinah Smith, a beautiful young nursing student from Pensacola who loved good books and could see through B.S. She let T.R. get away with just enough of B.S. to fall in love with him. They married in December 1969 and moved to Okaloosa County the next year. She worked in public health, while he worked as a public defender and later a prosecutor. In 1975 he ventured into private practice, joining the law firm of Smith, Grimsley, Barron & Remington; now known as Anchors Smith Grimsley.

He was an active member of the Florida Bar for over 50 years. In that time, he mentored young lawyers, served as President of the Okaloosa-Walton Bar Association (twice), was Board Certified in Civil Trial Law, and once told Governor Lawton Chiles, when asked where he ranked in his law school class, "Governor, I was in the half that made the upper half possible." That honesty, sense of humor, and his professional reputation earned him a gubernatorial appointment to a seat on the circuit court bench in 1992, where he served for 20 years. Lawyers always knew where they stood with T.R. on the bench and he treated each person that came before him with dignity and respect. Of his accomplishments on the bench, he was particularly proud of his efforts to bring Drug Court to Okaloosa County. For his service to the public, he received a Citation for Distinguished Service from the Disabled American Veterans and was awarded the Governor's Veterans Service Award. In recognition of his lifetime of service and accomplishment he was named a "Significant Sig" by his national fraternity.

He was a cradle Episcopalian and long devoted to St. Simon's-on-the-Sound Episcopal Church. He believed in God's grace, the dignity of every human being, and in getting to Morrison's Cafeteria "before the Baptists." He served on the vestry for many years and as Senior Warden three times. He was grateful to the congregation of St. Simons for helping instill in his children a love of Jesus and the value and dignity of all God's children, regardless of status, race, ethnicity, orientation, or lifestyle. Just as he enjoyed mentoring young lawyers he grew to love serving as a friend and sponsor to many people in the recovery community.

Although he enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie of lawyers and judges, he preferred a slower pace of living. He was passionate about fishing and the people he fished with. He enjoyed sharing stories of catching everything from bluegills to blue marlin. He was especially fond of kite fishing with Dinah. T.R. enjoyed her companionship and that of his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren. In retirement, he could often be found at his cabin in Red Bay in an old straw hat with some combination of his favorite people - watching a confusion of guineas chase bugs, looking for his dog Iris, or trying to grow the perfect tomato. He loved ginger ale, Hershey Bars (with almonds), fried mullet, day lilies, George Jones, and sophomoric humor.  Thanks to a large group of friends and family he never wanted for any of those things.

He is survived by Dinah, his beloved wife of 55 years for whom he delivered coffee in bed every morning until he could no longer physically do it. Their love affair produced three children and nine grandchildren- Scott Remington and his wife Amie of Pensacola and their children - Virginia, Tom, and Harry; Mary Blake Williams and her husband Kirby of Santa Rosa Beach and their children Betsy Cowart (Reed), Mac, and James, and Betsy Remington Hart and her husband Pat of Pensacola and their children Mary Scott, Libby, and Chris. He is also survived by a beloved sister-in-law Marsha Smith Underwood of Pensacola. His nine grandchildren knew him as "Big Daddy," a man who was always good for twenty bucks, encouraged a rebellious spirit, and would do anything to make them laugh - including eating a Milk Bone Dog Biscuit every now and then.

A celebration of T.R.'s life will be held 11:00am Friday, May 30, 2025, at St. Simon's-on-the-Sound Episcopal Church. The family will receive visitors at a reception following the service.  His ashes will be laid to rest privately, with family, near the waters he loved.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, 201 N. Baylen St., Pensacola, FL 32502, in support of the Beckwith Camp & Conference Center - a place where children learn to love Jesus, love one another, sing loudly, and walk kindly in the world.

He was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. The kind worth remembering. The kind that made others better.