Thomas Rencel Hulsey

Thomas R. Hulsey

EASLEY – Thomas Rencel Hulsey, 90, husband of JoAnn Traynham Hulsey, passed away on August 1, 2025, with family by his side.

Tom, or “Rencel” as he was known to family, was born on October 3, 1934, in Lula, Georgia and grew up on a farm in Cleveland, Georgia. He was the son of the late Buford and LaRue Bruce Hulsey and was also preceded in death by his older brother, Kenneth Hulsey.

Tom moved to Greenville, South Carolina in 1958. He met his future wife JoAnn while cruising at the Clock Drive-in on Stone Avenue. They married in 1960 and spent 65 years together, rarely spending a night apart. During their early marriage, Tom proudly served in the U.S. Army Reserves. In 1972, they moved to Easley where he built their home and they raised their two children. Tom owned and operated Hulsey Glass and Mirror in downtown Easley for over 30 years. He enjoyed designing and building furniture for his family, as well as golfing, fishing, camping, listening to country music and gospel quartets, and driving backroads with JoAnn in their Volkswagen Thing.

Tom loved the Lord. He was a devoted Christian and looked forward to the day he would sit at the feet of Jesus. Upon moving to Easley, Tom and JoAnn joined Geer Memorial Baptist Church where Tom was a deacon, youth worker, and helped to begin the bus ministry. They later were faithful, active members for many years at Easley First Baptist Church, where Tom helped lead the construction team on the Brazil mission trip. At the time of his death, Tom was a member of Rock Springs Baptist Church and the Faithful Servants Bible Fellowship Class.

Tom loved to travel. He could recommend the best place to get a good biscuit in any state! During summer breaks, he and JoAnn took road trips with their children in a motorhome they called “the Mountain Goat,” eventually traveling to all the lower 48 states. Tom liked to announce to the neighbors that he and JoAnn were off on another trip by playing “On the Road Again” over their RV’s loudspeaker. Through the years, they were members of several camping and travel clubs, where they made many of their closest friends. They enjoyed travelling to Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, and their favorite trip, the Holy Land, where they walked in the footsteps of Jesus.

Tom loved the Easley community. During his working years, he enjoyed early morning visits with the Coffee Club at Joe’s Ice Cream Parlor, and he and JoAnn loved visiting with friends during their regular outings to Jimmy’s Restaurant. When Tom retired, he and JoAnn felt the call to share God’s love by delivering donated food several days a week to those in need in Easley, which they did for many years. The community’s reciprocated love and support during Tom’s final years, and especially the kind visits of friends and neighbors, were very meaningful to Tom and his family.

Tom loved his family. His greatest joy was spending time with them. He is survived by his wife, JoAnn; children, Roger Hulsey (Sherri) and Tracy Bond (Johnny); grandchildren, Sydney Anderson (Steven), Nathan Hulsey (Mikayla), and Luke Hulsey; and great-grandson, Elias Anderson.

Visitation will be Sunday, August 3, 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Robinson Funeral Home Downtown in Easley. The funeral service will be Monday, August 4, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel at Rock Springs Baptist Church in Easley. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom’s memory to Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) at www.breakthrought1d.org.

Visit RobinsonFuneralHomes.com or Robinson Funeral Home and Crematory-Downtown, Easley.