Thomas Elwin Grimes was born on January 22, 1930, in Monticello, Iowa, the third of four children of Archibald Boies Grimes and Elvera Netty Grimes. The day he was born was the coldest day on record for the 20th century in Iowa – 36 degrees below zero! His sisters, Rebecca Stearns, Janis Kurz, and Nancy Toepfer, preceded him in death. His daughter Rebecca Jane DiBell by his first wife, Phyllis Clayton, died in 1999. He is survived by his wife, Maureen Grimes and her daughter Paula Hill; his ex-wife Carolyn Grimes Sherwood; his children Mark Lindsay Grimes and Janis Grimes Filiaggi; and his grandchildren Lindsey and Shannon Grimes.

Tom attended Monticello Schools until his family moved to Boone, Iowa where he graduated from Boone High School in 1947. He then went to Boone Junior College for one year and on to Cornell College, where he graduated with a degree in History and Political Science in 1951. After college he attended Columbia University in New York City where he earned a Master’s Degree in International Affairs in 1953. Tom worked for Ford Motor Company for 35 years, first in the International Division in New York City, and then for Ford’s finance team in Detroit, MI. He retired in 1990.

Throughout life, Tom’s greatest loves were athletics and music. He was a gifted athlete, playing basketball and running track in high school and college. He won many tennis tournaments while in Detroit and continued to play tennis until he was 90 years old. He also earned a 2nd degree black belt in judo. He met his wife Maureen on the tennis court and together they enjoyed 42 years of life that included tennis and travel throughout the United States and Europe.

Tom loved choral music and sang for many years with The Kenneth Jewell Chorale in Detroit, for which he also served as business manager. After retiring from Ford, Tom volunteered for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for seven years, lecturing at over 60 high schools about the joys of classical music. Tom’s extended family remembers him as a warm, generous uncle with an impressive high fidelity stereo system that was almost always playing classical music. One of Tom’s favorite sayings was, “Get some couth,” used to encourage his children to appreciate cultural events such as opera. Tom embraced life with energy, curiosity, and gratitude, and this message is valuable to all of us: take the time to appreciate art, music, and culture. Thank you, Tom.

Uncle Tom was a special man and I have found memories of his warm smile, kindness and encouragement. He always had a can-do attitude and will be missed. Praying for God to comfort his family and all who loved him.

I fondly remember how kind and warm my Uncle Tom was. As children, my sisters and I were always met with a sparkle in his eyes and a genuine smile. He had a way of making us feel seen—not just as nieces, but as individuals he truly cared about. He laughed easily, joked often, and made everyone around him feel welcome. One of my favorite memories is from our family vacations. While the adults shared the driving responsibilities, Uncle Tom let us play current radio hits, something that felt like a real treat at the time. He also introduced us to “Wipeout,” and we all sang along together, along with the Beach Boys on what must have been his 8-track tape. Those summer drives, filled with music and laughter, made the trips even more special. Uncle Tom carried a quiet confidence and an ease with people that made him someone others were naturally drawn to. He was kind not just to us as children, but to everyone in his orbit. You will be deeply missed, Uncle Tom. Rest in peace. Deanna

Tom was an extraordinary man. I met him through tennis as a young teenager. I respected and liked him immediately. As I was very much into music and related great I was extremely impressed by his sound system. It was miles above anything my buddies or their parents had. He was influential as I became enamored with classical music. Tom was a kind man and respected the hard work I was putting intuit becoming a competitive and highly ranked junior tennis player. What's interesting is that on a completely separate parallel path I became very close friends with his stepdaughter Paula. We were about the same age and shared a tight knit friend group in our late teens. That friendship is still variety important to me and we keep it alive to this day. We visited Paula and her husband Jiten where they live on Cape Cod. I'm especially grateful for my relationship with Maureen. She was kind and interested and generous. I treasure her as a special person in my life history. My deepest condolences to Tom's family and friends.