Dr. Thomas Charles “Tommy” von Lührte, 82, of Vanceburg and Dayton, Ohio, died October 29, 2026, at Fannin Farm in Vanceburg, Kentucky.
A family physician for four decades, he cared for generations of patients in Lewis County and kept his roots planted in the Carter County hills where his mother’s family had farmed since the 1800s.
Dr. Tommy was born May 14, 1944, to Walter C. and Frances Minta (Carver) von Lührte. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1966, where he played rugby and boxed. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Ohio University College of Medicine in 1984, and practiced family medicine in Vanceburg for 38 years at the Bel Air Clinic. Dr. Tommy’s patients were never just names on a chart; he knew their families, remembered their stories, and counted caring for them among the great honors of his life.
Tommy devoted himself to his family and his community. He was fiercely committed to preserving the family farm, where he and his beloved Sharon Bealert raised cattle and trained horses. He loved horses, rugby, football, and his family. As a physician, a husband, and a father, Dr. Tommy was a man who cared for others.
Tommy is survived by his beloved Sharon Bealert; his son, Jared Arthur Embree; his daughter, Summer Laurel Hannigan; grandchildren, Haley Marie Bealert, Mikayla Laurel Embree, and Alexander R.L. Mills; great-grandchildren, Dawson Lee Weaver and Elaina Laurel Weaver; and many cousins, extended family, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Frances von Lührte, and his brother, Charlie von Lührte.
Family and friends gathered for a graveside service at 4:30 p.m. on October 29, 2026, at Zornes-Carver Cemetery in Carter County, where Tommy was laid to rest near his parents.
Pallbearers were Jared Arthur Embree, Alexander R.L. Mills, Edwin Dale Bealert, William Matthew Bealert, Sherri Bealert Kennedy, and Summer Laurel Hannigan.
