Thomas William Mantle's Obituary
Thomas W. Mantle, known as Tom to most or Tommy to his siblings, born November 12, 1946, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania to Thomas W. Mantle and Anna B. McNamara, passed away peacefully at home on December 31, 2022, at 76 years of age. Born the oldest of 5 siblings; his sisters Eileen, Nancy, Claire and youngest brother Stephen, he was the third Thomas W. Mantle in his family and first-generation English, with this father migrating to the United States in the 1920’s.
Tom was known for a lot of things, but most notably his sense of humor, on-cue, witty remarks and nicknames he gave everyone near and dear to him. He attended grade school at Saint Frances De Sales in Southwest Philadelphia, and as a young boy he delivered newspapers for the Philadelphia Bulletin. He loved hanging out with his buddies, and when they came over to the house, they sat on the front steps and called out for “El Gato”, the neighbors’ cat to come out, which was how he got the nickname “Tomcat” as a child. Him and his friends would frequent Pop’s Soda Shop on 47th and Baltimore Avenue. Tom went on to attend West Catholic for Boys, then on to Philadelphia Textiles and Science for college, currently known as Thomas Jefferson University, where he graduated in 1968 with a degree in Business Management.
After graduating from college, Tom got his first job in Boston, MA. He would go on to develop a successful career in the textile business, traveling across the country to see his customers. It was then that he acquired an interest in leisure travel and a developed the ability to manage the otherwise confusing booking processes of the airlines in the 1970s and 80s. When he would come home to Philadelphia to visit his family, he would always request his mother’s meatloaf.
In 1975, Tom met his wife Cheryl at a tennis club in Boston. They married in 1976 in Boston and moved to Williamsburg, VA shortly after, where they had their two sons: Jamie in 1981 and Matthew in 1984. In 1985 they moved back to Philadelphia to be closer to family. During those years he immersed himself in sports and spent most of his free time playing baseball or soccer games in the yard with his children. Taking his boys to Phillies’ games, where he had season tickets along the third-base line, became a regular pastime. At every game Tom would brave the rowdy Phillies crowds and nearly sacrifice life and limb to catch fly balls. He and his boys would indulge in Philadelphia pretzels and be entertained by the Philly Phanatic’s antics.
In 1990, Tom and his family moved to Minnesota to be closer to his job at Industrial Fabrics Corporation (IFC) and spend more time with family. The move allowed him to increase his involvement in his sons’ sporting careers. Tom went on to coach Matthew’s soccer team. They would travel the country and were also invited to play in tournaments in Denmark and England. When he wasn’t coaching soccer tournaments, he would spend hours at swim meets waiting for his son Jamie’s events. He was an avid supporter of his son’s sports endeavors and loved to watch them develop in their careers. He had a great sense of adventure and found great joy in visiting different parts of the US and various corners of the globe. His fondest memories were family vacations to Australia, Barbados, Arizona, and a wedding in Mexico.
In 2013, Tom and his wife moved from Minneapolis to Lewes, Delaware to pursue their dream of retiring near the ocean. He loved to visit the beach at Cape Henlopen State Park with Cheryl and became actively involved in St. Jude’s Catholic Church. His sense of humor and kindness made him well known among the community. He was very generous and loved to make conversations with strangers. A simple request for directions would frequently turn into warm banter.
He will be dearly missed by family and many friends and colleagues who were so fortunate to be graced by his presence. Thomas is survived by his wife of 46 years, Cheryl L. Mantle; his sons: Jamie and Matthew; his daughter-in-law, Lucia; his grandchildren: Emma Lucia and Benjamin; his sisters: Eileen and Claire; and his brother, Stephen.
A celebration of Thomas’ Life will be held on Saturday April 15th, at The Five Point Community Center at 17339 N Village Main Blvd Lewes, DE at 1:00 PM ET.
Please sign the virtual guestbook located on the tribute page.
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