Thomas Frank Maschler

Thomas Frank Maschler
August 29, 1918 June 15, 2010

Thomas Frank Maschler was one of five children of Tom and Mary Maschler. He was preceded in death by brother, Frank Helfert, and sisters Eva Bullock, Anna Main, and Elizabeth Shields.

Tom was the loving husband of Vicki Lidstrom Maschler.

He was the proud and loving father of Timothy James Maschler, Calif., Tom Robert Maschler, La., Brian Paul Maschler, Calif., Lauren Denise Mullen, Va., Theodore Ames Maschler, Va., and Christine Maschler Petros, Ore.; loving grandfather of Megan Taylor, Heather Loughman, Jonathan, Andrew, and Rachel Maschler; Max, Quinn, and Davis Mullen; Jack Maschler; and Ian Petros.

Born in the Depression in rural Idaho, Tom learned the value of hard work on his parents' farm. A self-starter at a very early age, Tom would regale his family with tales of how he rode the rails and got jobs picking fruit and cotton across the Midwest when he was in his early teens. He taught himself to play the harmonica by ear at age 3, and was even featured on a local radio show playing the harmonica while standing on an apple crate.

In high school, Tom excelled in Literature, Track and Field and Arts, and showed a flair for the dramatic. It was apparent to his teachers that he was destined for tremendous accomplishments in higher education.

With the priesthood one of the options he was considering, he chose to go to the University of Southern California to study business. He was involved in intercollegiate athletics, and was a stalwart member of Gamma Sigma Pi fraternity. Though he fully enjoyed all of the social advantages of being the BMOC at U.S.C., he managed to graduate with high honors.

After graduation, Tom quickly made his mark in the business world in marketing and advertising and product development. He helped organize and bring to quick prosperity new businesses and was instrumental in helping older companies attain unprecedented market shares.

He was called to duty in World War II, and served in the Army with distinction. He excelled in intelligence training and became an expert marksman. He also distinguished himself in the Army boxing competitions. Fortunately, the war ended before he was shipped out to the European Theater.

When he got back to California, he resumed his career as a top flight marketing and advertising consultant and entrepreneur. He soon was wooed and hired by some of the largest advertising companies in the world, and relocated to Chicago, where he still casts a long shadow as a premier advertising executive; one of the original Mad Men. He quickly moved up the corporate ladder, and was responsible for shaping the marketing and branding campaigns for Fortune 500 Companies such as Ford Motor Company, Proctor and Gamble, Whirpool Corporation, U.S. Steel, NBC, ABC, Chrysler Corporation, Sunbeam Corporation, RCA, Capital Records, MGM, PGA and Mitsubishi. His ads were featured in major television networks and in prominent print media around the country.

Eventually one of his longstanding clients, The Basford Corporation, brought him on as its President and CEO. He returned to California, and successfully ran that company for multiple years.

Itching to get back to his entrepreneurial roots, in his mid 50s, he started his own management consultant company. He helped literally hundreds of companies in California, Oregon and Washington thrive and prosper. He loved his work, and never formally retired.

One of Tom's abiding passions was golf. Although he didn't pick up the game until age 39, he soon was breaking 80 and cleaning up on $2 Nassau's with his ad executive colleagues and clients. He was a member of the prestigious Knollwood Country Club in Chicago. He especially enjoyed playing golf with his sons, and cherished their frequent golf forays at some of the top courses around the country. He also had a memorable golf trip with Vicki to Ireland and Scotland, where they both brought St. Andrews to its knees.

Tom loved books, music and outdoor activities. His greatest joy was spending time with his wife and family. He was a thoughtful, graceful human being who was highly intelligent, deeply spiritual and forever giving. Another of his unique gifts, which he possessed ever since he was a child, was his amazing rapport with animals. He loved animals, and they loved him. Even wild animals would approach him, and sit on his lap. If he was alone, birds would perch themselves nearby. He was a best friend to many dogs, cats, horses and cows over his lifetime.

A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, June 26, 2010, at 9:00 a.m., followed by a reception at Perl Funeral Home, 2100 Siskiyou Blvd., Medford, OR, 541-772-4013.