John Thomas ‘Tom’ Sill
John Thomas “Tom” Sill, 88, died peacefully at home in the early hours of Saturday, April 29, 2023.
He was born on Feb. 16, 1935, the son of John D. and Madge Rendleman Sill, and raised in Carbondale, Illinois.
At the age of 5, he was enrolled in the University School on the campus of Southern Illinois University and would continue his education there through high school. It was an exceptional experience that would instill a curiosity and love of learning that would last a lifetime.
He would earn his B.A., majoring in speech, English and psychology, and an M.A. in speech at Southern Illinois University.
In 1958, Tom began his teaching career at Bloomington, Illinois, teaching speech and English. He also coached debate, forensics, theater and baseball.
In 1961, he became the coordinator of speech and English student teaching interns at the University Laboratory School at SIU. He taught at both the University and Lab School.
During this time, he earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum Development, with a focus on communication psychology. He was fortunate to have studied and taught with several outstanding scholars such as Buckminster Fuller, A. Craig Baird, Elwood Murray and Nelson Bossing.
Throughout 1962-1967, he was also a consultant and evaluator of high school curricula for the State of Illinois.
In 1967, Tom came to Western Michigan University as a member of the then Speech Department. He taught courses in public relations, interpersonal and nonverbal communication, listening, argumentation and organizational communication. During most of this time, he was the undergraduate academic advisor for the department, also serving one year as graduate advisor.
He was a consultant and trainer to numerous organizations, agencies and institutions in the areas of public opinion analysis, listening behavior and nonverbal communication, and co-authored four books, “Communication in the High School Curriculum,” “Play Production in The High School,” “Play Production Today” and “Speaking by Doing.”
Tom made friends easily, many lasting throughout his life. He had a passion for baseball and played through high school, was an enthusiastic Cardinals fan, an Eagle Scout and enjoyed singing in his church choir. He and several friends started a gospel quartet called “The Travelers” and performed in many southern churches in the 1960s.
He married his high school sweetheart, Susan Crews, and they had two children, Jeff and Kathy.
He led a rich, full life. Traveling, meeting new people and exchanging ideas was always a pleasure. A labor of love was his log cabin on a lake in northern Michigan, a favorite place for many years.
He was a good friend, well read, with an extraordinary memory and a wonderful sense of humor, and for over 40 years was a dedicated teacher who had a positive effect in the lives of many students.
Preceding him in death were his parents, John and Madge, and his daughter Kathy.
He is survived by his son Jeff, sister Wanda Oakey, niece Jeanne DeNeal, grandchildren Leighton and Amanda, eight great-grandchildren and Winston.
Graveside memorial services for Tom Sill will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Cobden Cemetery on North Appleknocker Drive-Cobden School Road in Cobden. Inurnment will follow. Family and friends are asked to meet at the cemetery.
Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Cobden is assisting the family with local arrangements.
For friends who wish to commemorate his life, consider a contribution to one of Tom’s favorite charities: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or SPCA of Southwest Michigan.