Thomas C. Lance, of Kewadin passed away peacefully on January 1, 2025, with family by his side.

Thomas was born on November 3,1940 in Youngstown Ohio and graduated from Boardman High School in 1959. He Attended Youngstown State University graduating with a BS in BA.

After graduation, he took a job with Sherwin Williams paint company as an assistant to the National Dealer Sales manager at their Cleveland word headquarters. In 1965 he and his brother David opened the 2nd Arby's Roast Beef drive restaurant in North Olmsted Ohio. Over the course of 25 years, they opened and owned 32 franchise locations. Tom was president of Restaurant Management Incorporated based in Cincinnati Ohio. He volunteered with Junior Achievement and was on the board of Armstrong United Methodist Church and lead their local area mission projects.

During his 25 years in the restaurant industry, he opened a Japanese restaurant called the Kabuki in downtown Cincinnati. Other accomplishments include being a partner in The Blue Moon Saloons, where he introduced chicken wings to the Cincinnati Market. Tom was president and board member of The Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Association.

He and his wife spent half a year in Naples Florida and were members of the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club. The yacht club also had a car club of which he was president. In addition, he was president of the Naples Alumni of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. After retiring, he and his wife of 61 years, Deborah Heindel from Poland Ohio built their dream house on the shores of Torch Lake Michigan.

He leaves behind three daughters: Wendy (Colby) Richart of Sarasota FL. Holly (Steven) Mead of Traverse City, MI. And Heidi (David) Rattigan of Cincinnati. Three Grandchildren; Griffin (Kate) Richart of Akron OH, Hannah Richart of Sarasota FL, and Ella Rattigan of New York, NY. His Great Granddaughter; Ada Richart of Akron OH.

His hobbies included woodworking, boating and refurbishing collector cars, one of the cars can be seen in The Lincoln Heritage Museum in the Kalamazoo MI area. He enjoyed family gatherings at the lake and in Naples. They moved to Sarasota in 2015 where they spent their winters enjoying the sunshine and family and friend's visits.

Tom loved his three daughters very much and loved to help them remodel their houses, like plumbing electrical and woodworking. He was an all-around jack of all trades.

Tom loved his grandchildren and great grandchild very much as they would brighten any room they entered and were always willing to help out when they visited. He was proud of what they have accomplished.

In leu of flowers, donations may be made out to SAE Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

A private family gathering will take place at a later time. Please share your cherished memories of Tom with his family at www.Reynolds-Jonkhoff.com