William Thomas Grant II "Tom"

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of William Thomas Grant II (Tom). Tom passed away peacefully at his home on July 1, 2025, following a courageous six-month battle after undergoing a Bone Marrow Transplant at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. He returned to Kansas City to spend his final week at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

Tom was born in Kansas City on May 13, 1950. Tom was a graduate of Pembroke Country Day School. He pursued his higher education at the University of Kansas, where he earned a degree in History in 1972 and was a proud member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Tom met his wife Jane Hedrick "Janie" at KU, and they were married in 1971. Following his marriage to Janie, he moved to Philadelphia to attend The Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his MBA.

Tom's remarkable business career began in the fall of 1976 when he returned to Kansas City to join Business Men's Assurance Company of America (BMA). His exceptional leadership skills in the Reinsurance division quickly propelled him through the organization to ultimately serve as BMA President and CEO from 1986 to 1990. In 1990, Tom led the sale of BMA to Assicurazioni Generali. Tom then went on to lead Seafield Capital Corp., an investment company he founded focused on growth companies. He saw an opportunity to expand one of Seafield Capital's primary investments, LabOne, and took over as CEO in 1995. Tom led the expansion of LabOne from insurance risk testing into the Clinical Laboratory space. This strategy quickly fueled the growth of LabOne until the sale to Quest Diagnostics in 2005. Tom continued to contribute his expertise as Senior Vice President of Health and Risk Management at Quest Diagnostics until he moved on in 2007. In 2008, Tom made a strategic investment in the Insurance Brokerage firm, SelectQuote. Tom served on the board and as an advisor from 2008-2011 and became President of SelectQuote in 2011. Under Tom's guidance, SelectQuote expanded its services to include Home, Automobile, and Medicare insurance. SelectQuote grew quickly, and the company went public in May of 2020 with the first 100% virtual IPO roadshow. The offering resulted in one of the largest IPOs in Kansas City history. Tom retired from SelectQuote in 2019 but continued to serve on the board until his passing. Between SelectQuote and Quest, those companies continue to deliver thousands of jobs and meaningful revenue in the greater Kansas City area and beyond. Quest Diagnostics has 2,180 local full-time-equivalent employees. SelectQuote reported 850 employees in the greater Kansas City area and over 5,000 jobs nationwide. Tom was fortunate as well to share his business career with his family. He worked hand in hand with his father at BMA and later in life was fortunate to work with all three of his sons at LabOne and SelectQuote. As accomplished as Tom was in business, he would consider his greatest business accomplishment getting to work alongside his father and his three sons.

Tom was a highly respected figure in the business community and served on many boards. In 1980, Tom joined the Commerce Bancshares board, where he continued to proudly serve for a remarkable 45.5 years. Tom served on numerous other boards, including BMA, LabOne, Assicurazioni Generali Life Insurance, AMC Entertainment, Kansas City Power and Light, Response Oncology, SLH, Quest Diagnostics, SelectQuote, Renew Biotech, CPC, The Whole Person, The Boys and Girls Club, and the co-chairman of CGF.

Tom was passionate about helping people and was a person of action with his time and energy. Tom's generosity knew no bounds, supporting numerous organizations in Kansas City and across the country. His primary focus was on providing area youth opportunities for access to better education or activities. Tom led the effort to establish the minority assistance program at Pembroke Hill School, where the school has moved from zero minority assistance to over 25% minority assistance. Whether a person excelled in mathematics, musical talent, or athletics, Tom wanted to foster an environment where kids had the opportunity to make the most of those talents. Throughout his life, Tom personally sponsored many kids to attend Pembroke Hill, Bishop Miege, or Rockhurst College. Beyond the programs and financial aspect of giving, Tom was not a silent presence in kids' lives. Tom took a very active role in the lives of the people he helped, maintaining strong relationships with them throughout his life. Tom was also active in youth sports. He established and sponsored many teams throughout the greater Kansas City area, providing opportunities where little existed. These teams led to numerous opportunities to expand education and led to many successful careers. At one point, two of the 32 NBA head coaches and one assistant coach had come up through the teams Tom sponsored. He closely followed their careers, taking great pride in what they had achieved. He was also instrumental in creating the SelectQuote Foundation, which focuses on education, underserved youth, and entrepreneurship.

Tom was a man of immense warmth and charisma. He was always engaging and full of energy. He had an extraordinary ability to remember everyone he met by name and took a genuine personal interest in his or her lives and families. He always greeted everyone with a big smile. His warmth and personal touch fostered a unique culture of belonging and mutual respect both personally and within the organizations he led.

Tom took time to live his passions. He loved the ocean, he was an avid swimmer, loved to snorkel, and was an exceptional scuba diver. Tom was also fixated on sharks. On a dive, while others would quickly retreat when seeing a shark, Tom would propel towards it. Tom was also known as the "world's best planner." He loved every opportunity that involved planning. Whether it was vacations, dinners, tailgates, or just planning the day, Tom reveled in the chance to make the plans. Anywhere a family member or friend was going to travel, Tom was always trying to help and made suggestions for 'must experience' excursions. When it came to sports, he loved the Jayhawks and the Chiefs (having had Chiefs tickets for over 50 years). He exuberantly celebrated every win and emotionally bemoaned every loss.

Above all else, Tom was a dedicated family man. He was married for 54 years to Janie, a proud father to his three sons, and an adoring grandfather to his nine grandchildren. He shared unique and deeply special relationships with each of his sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren.

He cherished every moment spent with his family. Tom celebrated family 24/7, and family trumped everything in his life. He and Janie took in every imaginable family life event, family sporting event, or school activity that any family member participated in. It did not matter if it was the State Championship game, high-school musical, or kindergarten soccer, Tom was in the front row with a huge hug following each event.

Tom's legacy lives on with his family, professional accomplishments, and the countless lives he touched with his kindness, mentorship, and friendship. His presence, wisdom, and genuine warmth will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, William Downing Grant "Bill" and Mary Grant. He is survived by his beloved wife, Janie; his three sons, Bill (Sarah), Joey (Shanna), and Bob (Anne); his nine cherished grandchildren, Will, Remley, Mary, Jack, Wyatt, Isla, Charlie, George, and Andrew; his sister, Laura (John); his brother-in-law, Trip Hedrick (L'Louise); his father-in-law, Clay Hedrick; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Tom's generous heart and indelible spirit will continue to inspire generations to come.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Tom’s memory may be made to: Kansas University-Williams Education Fund, Pembroke Hill School, The Kansas City Zoo, Boys & Girls Club of America, UMKC Conservatory of Music, and/or Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

Tom's Service will be held on Friday, August 22 at 2:30 pm at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 6300 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO, reception will follow.