Thomas T. Wilson

Thomas T. Wilson

Died after a short illness at Swedish Hospital, Dec. 21, 2015. Tom was surrounded by friends at his bedside , and mourned by many more at the news of his death. He was born and raised on a prosperous farm in Champaign County, Illinois, the last son of 8 children. Two sisters and 14 nieces and nephews survive him. His education began in a one-room schoolhouse, continued at the University of Illinois, where he majored in painting, graduating with highest honors. After a brief stint in the Navy, travel in Europe, Tom studied at Yale, and pursued a MFA at the University of Oregon. He served as assistant, then acting, director of the Santa Fe Art Museum before moving to Port Townsend in 1960. There he entered an extraordinary creative period as a painter, teacher, and promoter of the arts. His good friend and writer Peter Simpson argued that Port Townsend owes much of its cultural vitality to Tom's efforts during that period. The remainder of his life after 1975 was lived in Seattle, where he continued painting, esp. portraits, and served on a number of boards, including Allied Arts, the Betty Bowen Award (SAM), and Pratt Fine Arts Center. His paintings have been shown at the Henry Gallery, the Museum of Northwest Art, the Washington State Convention Center, and most recently, at the Jefferson Co. Museum of Art and History. To document and celebrate his work, the University of Washington Press published "Thomas T. Wilson: Paintings," 2004. A graveside service was held Dec. 31 at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle, and a funeral mass will be celebrated at St. James Cathedral on Jan. 29 at 11am. Donations in his name can be sent to the Jefferson County. Museum of Art and History, 520 Water St., Port Townsend, WA 98368. Please sign Tom's online's Guestbook at www.Legacy.com.