Thomas Clayton Rickles

Tom was the love of her life. He went to Heaven to be with loving family and many good friends.

Tom was born in Newark, Ohio on January 1, 1930. His parents were Helen (Irwin) Rickles and James Thomas Rickles. He grew up in Newark and went to Newark High School. In 1953, Tom graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He majored in Business and Accounting.

After graduation, Tom worked for a sales company in Columbus, Ohio.

Ashland Oil and Valvoline located in Ashland, KY hired Tom as a salesman in 1964 and he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. He had a very positive, outgoing personality that worked well in his sales career.

Tom and Ginny, as her family called her, were married in the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Indiana on June 19, 1965.

In 1967, Ashland transferred Tom to Ashland, KY. He made many friends in the business, and with customers there.

Later in the fall of 1973, the company sent Tom to the Buffalo, NY area and they lived in Williamsville, NY. He became office manager during his time there.

Over the years, Tom sold Valvoline Oil products and gasoline.

During his time in New York Tom traveled to Rochester, Albany, Erie, PA and many other places, even making sales in Toronto, Canada and formed strong friendships with customers in these areas.

In January 1984, Ashland transferred Tom to Ohio and they lived in Aurora, OH (east of Cleveland). The company offices were in Canton, OH.

After Tom retired from Ashland Oil, he was hired by Bill Englefield, owner of Englefield Oil, a great company located in Newark, Ohio. Tom was given a job as Supervisor of Dealer Operations and worked in the Akron area and other areas where he was needed. He had a great manager, Ed Stephens who became a close friend. Tom worked for Englefield for 10 years before his retirement.

The couple moved to Sarasota in 1996 and built a home in Turtle Rock. Tom and Ellen, the middle name she has used since her college graduation, both loved to travel and they took trips to different areas of Europe. These trips gave them happy memories. They also made many good friends who gave them great support and help over the years.

Tom battled many health issues over the years, his first heart attack at 45 and first heart bypass that same year in Buffalo, NY.

Twenty years later in 1995, he had his second heart bypass at the Cleveland Clinic.

In 2005 at age 75, he had emergency surgery for a ruptured abdominal aorta. In 2013, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

In 2014, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In 2015, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and took a full course of radiation in that year.

Tom was a wonderful man who had a great sense of humor and a positive outlook on life. He took wonderful care of his wife and told her he loved her every day.

He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and a Shriner for over 60 years.

A memorial service for Tom will be held at Church of the Palms Presbyterian Church at a later date.

In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to Tidewell Hospice, Church of the Palms Presbyterian Church, or Shriners Hospital for Children.