Tom was born in Bath on Oct. 10, 1931 and died in Houston, Texas on Dec. 3, 2024. An avid golfer and fisherman, he spent his recent years with friends and family in Houston, Texas and Clary Lake in Jefferson. He was a volunteer in AARP’s Tax Help Program for 20 years and a docent on the Battleship Texas for 30-plus years.
Tom graduated from Webb Institute in 1952 with degrees in naval architecture and marine engineering, followed by three years’ service as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Tom joined Exxon in 1956 as an engineer at the Baton Rouge, La. refinery, beginning a 37-year career with the company. In 1961 he earned an MBA from LSU and in 1965 he was promoted to Exxon’s corporate planning department in Houston. At this time he met his wife, Delph. They were married in 1966, and except for two years in Esso, Australia, they have lived in Houston ever since.
Tom retired from Exxon in 1992 and became an economic and litigation consultant for Exxon and other clients for many years. The Wilson Gillette report on shipping is published to this day.
Tom was a survivor of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and was a student of naval history, speaking regularly at schools and other venues. He was a member of the Naval Order of the United States, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, the Clary Lake Association, the Sons of the Republic of Texas, and a past president of the Briar Club in Houston.
Tom is predeceased by his mother, Lydia Baxter; father, Alden Smith; stepfather, Adm. Claude Gillette, USN; sister, Lydia Grant; and son, Christopher. He is survived by his wife, Delph Anderson Gillette, and their son, Baxter and daughter-in-law, Janina, as well as by his daughter, Cheryl and his daughter-in-law, Leslie. He is also survived by his half-brothers, Asa and Alden Smith; and has been blessed with grandchildren, cousins, nieces, and nephews living throughout the United States.
Tom’s graveside service will be held at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests, with gratitude, memorial contributions in Tom’s name be made to the charity of your choice or to the Clary Lake Association at clarylake.org or Clary Lake Association, P.O. Box 127, Whitefield, ME 04353.
