Thomas ‘Tom’ Eugene Ruland, 75, of Collierville, TN passed away on Oct 17, 2021, after a long battle with leukemia. Tom was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Dorothy ‘Dottie’ (Nordin) Ruland, his parents, Wilfred and Pearl (Hogan) Ruland, a brother, William ‘Bill’ Ruland, and a sister Linda (Ruland) Myers.
Tom was born in Erie, PA on November 13, 1945. He attended Tech Memorial High School and graduated in 1963. Tom worked for Union Iron Works before marrying Dottie, his teenage sweetheart, in June 1968. Later, while working at PCAI, Tom was encouraged to pursue computer programming. He became a computer systems analyst and worked for Parker White Metal, Hammermill and International Paper. In 1989, Tom moved his family to Collierville, TN to pursue a new opportunity with International Paper.
Tom was immensely proud of his family and their accomplishments. When he wasn’t supporting their endeavors, Tom spent his time doing home improvements and playing in various racquet sports’ competitions. He won many awards in tennis, racquetball and ping pong, but he excelled in pickleball winning many State, Regional, and a National championships.
Tom is survived by four daughters, Marcia Schmertmann (Gary) of Sydney, Australia, and Karin Starnes (Kevin), Sandy Walston (Steven) and Kristin Ruland, all of Collierville and 5 grandchildren (Thea, Noah, Cora, Tommy and Josh). Tom is also survived by a brother, John Ruland (Patricia) and one sister, Sister Carole Ruland M.H.S.H.
A visitation for friends and family will be held at the Collierville Funeral Home, on Friday evening October 22 from 6:00-8:00pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated at Church of the Incarnation in Collierville the next morning at 10:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
