Thomas Phillip Stemple

Tom was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 23, 1952 to Stanley and JoAnn Stemple. He was the first of five children born to the pair and Sue, Tim, Stan, and Marty joined their brother to complete their big family. Raised staunchly Polish-Irish and Roman Catholic, Tom was confirmed in the 6th grade, sponsored by his uncle Daniel. He took the confirmation name Joseph, after his mother’s father. Though Tom was a lapsed Catholic, his upbringing in the Roman Catholic faith had a profound effect on his personality.

Though he loved reading, Tom never enjoyed school and was happy to graduate from Holy Name High School and never pursue further degrees. He played football in high school but his interest in sports waned after graduation. Instead, Tom was happiest with his nose buried in a comic book or his eyes glued to the latest sci-fi/fantasy movie.

Tom met his wife Daphne when he moved to Houston, Texas. In his own words, “I will always be grateful for meeting her since she gave me everything: confidence, love, two beautiful children, and I gave her nothing but trouble.” The two married on June 21, 1982 – the first day of summer – at a small simple wedding at City Hall, surrounded by friends and family. For their honeymoon, the two drove to California and visited the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, and the San Diego Harbor Cruise all in a single day! They also visited Disneyland for the first time. When Daphne passed away in 2016, Tom never quite recovered from the loss.

He often fondly recalled that becoming a father changed his life. Tom and Daphne’s first child, Katrina, was born in 1984, followed by their second daughter, Rachael, in 1987. Never one to smile in photographs, it was only when he was holding his children that he would willingly crack a smile for pictures. He was awed and supportive of his daughters’ decision to pursue advanced degrees, cheering Katrina on as she received her MA and continued to work on her Ph.D. and was anticipating the completion of Rachael’s MA next year. Tom told everyone how proud he was that both of his daughters were engaged in academia and working as teachers.

An avid gamer, both tabletop and video, Tom enjoyed an illustrious run as a dungeon master. Anyone who met him could testify to his ability to spin a fascinating yarn, keeping his listeners hanging on every word, laughing and enthralled with his charismatic and engaging delivery. He loved chatting up friends and strangers alike in his easy to recognize wide-stance, arms crossed or hands on his hips, depending on the needs of his sometimes-tall tale.

Though he worked nearly his whole life, it was never his passion. He pursued a career in Information Technology because he wanted to give his family a comfortable life. If he’d won the lottery, he’d have adopted a small herd of dogs and spent his days drinking coffee, smoking, and working on his family genealogy – still watching all the sci-fi/fantasy media he could get his hands on.

Tom would say that he was “shocked” to become a grandfather with the arrival of Katrina and her husband Patrick’s first child, Gavin, in 2019. He would also tell anyone who listened how much he loved and cherished his new role as grandfather. Each time he saw Gavin, whether in-person or virtually, he was amazed at how smart Mr. Gavin Hunter Moore was and how much he’d grown. Tom was somewhat impatiently but completely lovingly awaiting the arrival of his second grandson, Tristan.

Tom passed away on August 29, 2022 in Houston, Texas. He is survived by his daughters, Katrina and Rachael, and his grandsons Gavin and (soon-to-arrive) Tristan. Services held at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home and Cemetery on September 6, 2022. Tom will be laid to rest with his beloved Daphne.