Tom met his wife, Phyllis, in junior high school. After graduating from Woodwood High School in Cincinnati, he spent a short time in the Air Force before he and Phyllis were married in 1963. They remain married today... 56 years later! He recently said they spent their whole lives together.

Tom had 3 children and 7 grandchildren. He gained his business experience in the early 70's at IBM in San Francisco, CA before taking a leap of faith and moving his family to Iowa to help grow a small ad firm. After acquiring the company a few years later, he would grow the company with his best friend and his children into a national company with hundreds of employees. He spent the next 44 years of his life in Texas always surrounded by family and friends. He was a husband and father first, and loved traveling with them more than anything else in the world. Tommy was loved by everyone who knew him.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Anne Gildenblatt; his brother, Alan Gildenblatt; and his beloved son, Brad Gildenblatt. Tom is survived by his wife, Phyllis Gildenblatt; his sister, Marsha Alcorn; his son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Heather Gildenblatt; his daughter, Staci Gildenblatt; his daughter in law, Pam Gildenblatt; his grandchildren: Conner Gildenblatt and his fiancé, Kennedy Johnson, Caitlin Gildenblatt, Cale Gildenblatt, Cileigh Gildenblatt, Ethan Kenyon, Evyn Gildenblatt, and Cadence Carr; his nephew, Marc Alcorn; and so many more loving relatives and great friends all over the country, especially Arleen and Ken Webman for always going above and beyond.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/arlington-tx/tommy-gildenblatt-9175997