Thomas Allen “Tom” Wilson died Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, after a brief illness. His loving wife of 34 years, Mary Kay, was at his bedside when he passed away.
Tom was born in 1940 in Omaha, Neb., and was the son of J. Maynard Wilson and Dorothy Mae Wilson (nee Thomas). Tom grew up in Omaha and graduated from Westside High School. He went on to study business administration at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
After college at Ball State, Tom began a distinguished business career in the software and technology industry in the 1970s when it was in the early stages of development. He began his career at Comshare Corporation in 1975, where he was a vice-president and director of sales. Early on Tom gained a reputation in the industry for his ability to turn around companies struggling in their growth stages. In his 30-plus year career in software technology and development, he worked in senior executive positions at a number of companies, including Oracle Corporation in Redwood City, Calif., where he was a vice-president and general manager. Thereafter he was president and COO of Viewstar Corp in Emeryville, Calif. He later served as president and CEO of Seer Technologies in Cary. In 2002, he joined MDA Mindbox in Greenbrae, Calif., as executive vice-president of sales and marketing after which he retired in 2008. At each of these companies and others, Tom brought to bear his passion for mentorship, sales, marketing and organizational skills to increase top line revenue growth and profitability.
Tom was a lifelong golfer and an accomplished player in his day. He loved to play golf with his friends and was a member of numerous golf clubs, including The Country Club of North Carolina, MacGregor Downs Country Club, Bethesda Country Club, in Bethesda, Md., Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston, Va., and others.
Tom was a true gentleman of the old school and loved spending time with his friends and meeting other people. Anyone who knew Tom knew about his quick wit, his enthusiasm for life and his ability to make people laugh. He and Mary Kay traveled extensively throughout their lives together but were always glad to come home to their family, friends and dogs.
In addition to Mary Kay, Tom is survived by his children, Jeffrey S. Wilson and wife, Kim, of Charleston, S.C. and their children, Reilly, Susie and Liam. His daughter, Katherine L. McLary lives in Charlotte with her daughter, Megan. Tom was especially proud of his oldest grandson Reilly, who will enter the U.S. Naval Academy in 2019 with a tennis scholarship.
A memorial service for Tom is planned for a later date.