Thomas Osborne Minnich

He was born in Stroudsburg, PA, attended Stroudsburg High School and graduated from Temple University as a compounding pharmacist. He was a longtime pharmacist with Rae & Derrick Drug Stores and Lemon Bay K-Mart pharmacy.

Tom was a member of the Masonic Lodge for over 50 years and a member of the Englewood Elks Club.

Tom was an active leader and passionate advocate of Englewood. He was co-founder of the Southwest County Homeowners Alliance, the Englewood Environmental Learning Center, the Lemon Bay League and the River Road Task Force. He served on the Sarasota County Neighborhood Grant Advisory Committee and the numerous county citizen organizations promoting the quality of life in the county and Englewood. He most recently initiated the concept for the future Ethnobotany educational project to be located in the Buchan Field Community/Kiwanis Park trails.

Tom is survived by his wife, Wanda (Bell), brother, Jack, (Minnich), son-in-law, Randy (Baxter), daughters Cynthia (Baxter), and Debbie (Kole), grandchildren; Dianisha, Sarah, Thomas, Michael and Jill, and cousins Floyd Shively and Bobbe Shively.

A Celebration of Life memorial will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made, in memory of Tom, to Friends of Sarasota County Parks, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34241. Proceeds will be designated for the Ethnobotany project in Englewood.

Lemon Bay Funeral Home and Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements. You may express your condolences to the family at lemonbayfh.com