Thomas Richard Shadick

Tom Shadick passed away peacefully at his home in Ketchum, Idaho, on April 1, 2024. He was 84 years old.
Tom grew up in Elk River, Minnesota. He graduated from Drake University in Iowa and worked for Dayton’s Department Store in Minneapolis during the retail heyday of the ‘60s and ‘70s. In 1973, Tom opened T. Shadick’s, a kitchen store. He went on to open more kitchen and cutlery stores, eventually importing and distributing Wusthof Trident Cutlery, and making the brand a household name in the United States.

Tom bought his home in Ketchum in 1989 as a 50th birthday gift to himself. He married Patti, the love of his life, on March 4, 1995. Minnesota was home, but they called Sun Valley their “happy place.” They loved skiing, hiking, and entertaining. They hosted visitors often, and they skied Baldy and Dollar Mountain with their 6 children and 8 grandchildren. Tom loved gardening. He had a talent for garden design, and created magazine-worthy gardens at each of their homes in Minnesota, Sun Valley, and California. Tom’s gardens drew curious visitors, and even served as wedding venues for close friends and family. His retirement projects included 15 years in the wine business running Shadick Vineyard in Sonoma County, California, and building a midcentury modern style home on Green Lake in Spicer, Minnesota. He drove the boat as grandchildren learned to waterski, provided sound advice, and was well known for wise one-liners such as “I’d rather be lucky than smart, and “Remember the two easiest jobs in the world: running someone else’s business and someone else’s family.”

Tom was preceded in death by parents, Ernie and Alice Shadick, and sister Mary Jane (“Shorty”) Cochran. He is survived by Patti, his wife of 29 years; daughter Jill (Geoff) Hockman; stepdaughter Kelly (John) Abernathy; stepsons Kevin, Kirk, and Kraig Johnson. Also survived by nephews Brad and Kevin Cochran; and eight grandchildren: Ruby and Jack Johnson; Whitney, Hannah, and Lindsey Hockman; Pieper and Phoenix Abernathy; and Gunnar Johnson. He was preceded in death by stepson Kyle Johnson and grandson Sam Abernathy.

A springtime celebration of life will be held in Minneapolis, and will be announced when a date is set. In honor of Tom’s memory, please consider a gift to Hospice & Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley or the Alzheimer’s Association of Minnesota-North Dakota.