Obituary of Thomas Gingles

Thomas Gingles, 66, passed away in hospice care on Sunday, April 14, 2019.

Tom was the co-owner of Gingles Florist with his parents Edgar (d 1995) and Helen (d 1989),1970-1995 and with his wife, Jeanne (surviving), 1995-2011.

Tom was a small-town guy his whole life. Never a fan of crowded city streets, he enjoyed the quiet rural life. A graduate of Belvidere High School (‘71), Tom was very close with his high school best friends George Lightcap, Wil Rochemann, and Jay Richards for over 50 years. He was thankful to have grown up with them in such a tight-knit community.

Tom knew every bit of local history imaginable, and loved being outside. He hunted and fished with his sons, and loved a good campfire at night  in the backyard. Most of all, he loved to garden, and proudly harvested as many vegetables as he could (particularly his prized carrot crop) every year. He was a wonderful storyteller, a kind neighbor, and placed high value on the simple pleasures in life.

Although he himself never went to college, Tom thought education was the most valuable commodity in life. He loved history, literature, writing fiction and poems, going to see plays with his daughter, listening to folk and bluegrass music, and learning new facts about the world around him. Tom was known to friends and family as a well-read person, and could always be counted on to know a little bit about almost any subject. A dedicated family man, he loved teaching his children and sharing his pursuit of knowledge with his wife.

In the end, colon cancer took him from his family too soon. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family, at St. Luke’s Hospice House in Bethlehem, PA. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Jeanne (née Wolff), his daughter, Erin, his two sons, Michael and Glen, his son-in-law, Dave, his daughter-in-law, Katie, his cousin, Mary Ann Boyler, his wife’s family, and his best friends. Tom hated to see “in lieu of flowers” at the end of obituaries, so please send flowers to DeVoe’s Funeral Home. Donations can also be made to St. Luke’s Hospice House, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Basking Ridge, NJ, or the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

The Visitation will be held on Friday from 6-8PM in the DeVoe Funeral Service 136 West Washington Ave, Washington NJ. A Rosary Prayer wil be said at 6PM in the funeral home. Funeral Service will be Saturday at 11AM in the funeral home. Interment to follow in the Pequest Union Cemetery, Great Meadows NJ