October 16, 1943 – November 2, 2018
Conway
Thomas Edward (“Tom”) Wells died in Conway Medical Center on Friday, November 2, after a courageous yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he attended Cheltenham High School, Philadelphia College of Art, and Temple University. Tom served two years in the United States Army during the Vietnam era, assigned mostly to duty near Stuttgart, Germany. Following his active military service, he was in the US Army Reserve for 7 years, which enabled him to attain a Master’s degree in Art Education. He is a lifetime member of the American Legion.
Tom spent his career as a product designer, working in the toy industry for more than 25 years as well as designing industrial and medical products and developing merchandise packaging. He was named on multiple patents. In his personal life, he was a highly talented fine artist and particularly liked to work in watercolors. After retiring in 2012, he moved to Conway in 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed living in South Carolina near the beach.
A man of deep faith, Tom was a dedicated parishioner at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church where he was an Altar Server, Eucharistic Minister, frequent volunteer, and a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Donna, with whom he shared nearly 29 years of marriage, and by three loving children, Tara (Scott), Tom Jr. (Lindsey), and Jessica (Joshua), as well as eight much-loved grandchildren. Times with family and friends were his most treasured moments.
Visitation was private at Lee Funeral Home, Little River. A funeral Mass was held on Friday, November 9, at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in North Myrtle Beach with the Rev. Roger J. Morgan of Saint Andrew Catholic Church, Myrtle Beach, as celebrant.
For those who wish to make memorial donations, suggestions include the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, Wreaths Across America™, or Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church or a charity of choice.
Requiescat in pace.
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