Thomas Edward Pinegar, Jr.

Thomas Edward Pinegar, Jr.
Thomas Edward (Ed) Pinegar, Jr. 74, of Springfield, passed away May 23, 2020. He was born March 19, 1946 to Madge (Buckner) and Thomas (Tom) Pinegar. He grew up in the Springfield community of Ebenezer and graduated from Willard High School where he was an outstanding baseball player. He was proud of his rural background and continued to be a part of that community which later led him to establish Pinegar Land and Cattle. He married the love of his life Carolyn Laughlin July 8, 1967 at First Baptist Church. Their lives centered on educating their four children Angela, Tad, Abigail, and Ashlie to be Christians and good citizens.
Even as a kid, Pinegar had a knack for business. He told many stories of milking cows and picking berries to sell. He worked his way through college by purchasing a gas station with a friend where they both worked. He graduated from then SMS in 1969 and began to work for Reliable Chevrolet downtown Springfield. He was instrumental in moving Reliable to their South Campbell location. His success at Reliable allowed him to take the next step, to purchase his own dealership in Republic in 1979. He continued his automotive success by purchasing two more dealerships in Branson, in 1988. He then decided to start in the Limousin cattle business in 1992, eventually becoming the leading breeder of Limousin cattle in North America. His auctions brought in breeders from all over the US and Canada. Just this past March was his 26th annual Cattle Auction.
Pinegar accepted Christ as his savior as a child and as an adult was active in First Baptist Church of Springfield. He loved sports and coached his children and nephew Jeff in many sports and games.  He was a steadfast fan of the Bears and Lady Bears teams.
Pinegar was honored as an Outstanding Young Springfieldian in 1975. He was recognized by Springfield Jaycees as Outstanding Young Man in 1980. He served on the MSU Board of Governors from 1985-1991 and has served on the MSU Board of Trustees since 2009. He and wife, Carol were honored with the Missouri State Bronze Bear Award in 2009. Missouri Limousin Breeders Association inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 2013. The 2018 Ozark Empire Fair Gold Buckle Gala honored him for his dedication to youth. In April 2019, Ed and Carol received the outstanding Willard Alumni Award. Recently he received the 2019 AFP Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year Award.
With all of his achievements, he was the most proud of his four children and nine grandchildren.  If he were able he never missed any of their performances, games, nor graduations.  He was always prepared to help a friend or sometimes a stranger in need.  Many of his acts of charity were done anonymously.
Pinegar is survived by his wife Carol; Children, Angela, Tad and his wife Amy, Abigail, and Ashlie; and nine grandchildren. He is also survived by sisters Charlene Crites and Darlene Mincks; a nephew Jeff; nieces Becky and Crystal; and many close family members and lifelong friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and niece Barbara.