Thomas Shepler Landis

ARLINGTON-Tom Landis, 90, passed away on Friday, December 22 after a brief illness. Memorial Service: 2 p.m. Friday, December 29, at New World United Methodist Church, 2201 N. Davis Dr., Arlington. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to New World UMC, supporting Arlington Urban Ministries or the Life Shelter. Tom was born on July 15, 1927 in Peru, Indiana to Arthur Tressilion and Dorothy Ann (nee Shepler) Landis. His maternal grandfather was Milo Shepler, a local businessman (barber) who also farmed part time and owned the Peru Grays semi-pro baseball team. Tom grew up between two sisters, Betty and Mary Jane, who helped him serve his mother's fried egg sandwiches to the railroad workers passing through town. Tom graduated from Peru High School in 1945, among the top in his class. Upon graduation he received a commission to West Point but was unable to attend due to being a quarter-inch too short. Wanting to proudly serve his country, he joined the Navy later that summer. He attended basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago and was stationed in Gulfport, MS. After serving for one year, he was honorably discharged in July 1946. He then began his studies at Indiana University where he was a member of Phi Eta Sigma freshman honor fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity, and was an active Sig Ep. At a fraternity event where he met his future wife, Emily Rehm (Delta Zeta, IU '51), after winning a “Coke Date” with her. The two were married on July 8, 1951 in South Bend. Tom worked for the General Motors Acceptance Corporation and then for the Studebaker Corporation before joining The Associates in 1956. He worked there for 36 years, including a corporate move to Irving, Texas in 1976. They settled in Arlington, Texas, where they continued to raise their family. The family joined New World UMC shortly after moving to Arlington. The church was meeting at Butler Elementary at the time, but Tom knew that was the place he and his family needed to be! He asked for his own name tag two weeks later. He was committed to his church and served on the board, on the finance committee and was actively involved with the retirees group, Sunday school, and adult choir. How he loved to sing! Always wanting to help and to serve, Tom was also on the board at the Irving YMCA for many years and was a member of The Society of Corporate Secretaries and Kiwanis. After retiring, he busied himself by delivery Meals on Wheels for 10 years and working as a volunteer at Arlington Memorial Hospital, becoming a Lifetime Auxiliary Member. He could also be found taking family and friends here and there for appointments, lessons, or other activities. Tom will always be remembered as a fair and loving father, a doting husband, a good friend, a faithful Christian. He was known for a bit of an ornery streak and was always up for a good joke, usually being the one to share it. Tom was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, and his two sisters. He is survived by his five children: Beverly Horner (Brandon) of Emporia, Kansas; Larry Landis (Rebecca) of Corvallis, Oregon; Barbara McWhirter (Dan) of Arlington, Texas; Jon Landis (Dawn) of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania; and Jennifer Ehlers (Mike) of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and countless friends and neighbors. Wade Family Funeral Home (817) 274-9233