Thomas W. Mead, 89, of Galesburg, died at 2:25 p.m. Monday, October 14, 2024, in OSF St. Mary Medical Center.
He was born December 26, 1934, in Galesburg, the son of George W. and Maxine (Underwood) Mead. He married Betty J. Hannegan on January 1, 1958, in Galesburg. She preceded him in death on May 15, 2005, after more than 47 years of marriage.
He is survived by two children, Thomas E. (Tina) Mead of Galesburg and Paula Rae Johnson (Bernard Smith) of Galesburg; a step-son, Michael P. (PoLin) Peck of Florida; six grandchildren; four great grandchildren; and a sister, Sue Hoskins of Galesburg. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents; a great grandson, Ryan Maxwell; a son-in-law, Eugene Johnson; and seven brothers and sisters.
Thomas was a union marble and tile mason out of the Quad Cities. He had worked throughout the region including extensive work at the Rock Island Arsenal. He was especially proud of the tile work he did at the Saw Grass Country Club in Florida. He graduated from Galesburg High School.
When not working, Thomas could be found on the golf course. He was a founding member of the Dew Dusters Golf League at Bunker Links, a course that he had golfed at for over 70 years. Family vacations were spent traveling and camping in the mountains out West. He enjoyed watching Westerns and was an avid Chicago Bears fan.
Cremation will be accorded. Private family graveside service will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. No visitation is planned. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, a favorite charity of his. Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral and Cremation Service is honored to serve the family. Online condolences and memories may be shared on the funeral home’s website at www.h-p-w.com.
