Eckblad, Thomas Lee was born in Racine, WI on August 12, 1945, the 5th of 8 children born to Ralph and Ruth Eckblad. Tom met his wife, Jeanie, while they were students at Moody Bible Institute. Married in 1966, they joyfully celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary recently. Tom studied Biblical studies at Columbia International University. Upon graduation, he and his wife and kids, Tom, Tracy and Luke, spent 10 wonderful years as missionaries in Bolivia with South America Mission. After returning to the U.S., Tom received two masters degrees in Biblical Theology and Sociocultural Anthropology. At the heart of his studies was the desire to know people and God in deeper, richer ways. He trained missionaries with Mission Training International and Barnabas, International for many years, and then served as Pastoral Counselor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. A quiet, kind, patient, godly and wise man, his impact on others was deep and lasting. He was known for his sweet, gentle personality and great sense of dry, Norwegian humor. Tom passed away July 24, 2018, preceded in death by his father and mother, sister Eleanor, as well as his beautiful granddaughter, Hannah Noelle Mitchell. He is survived by his wife Jeanie, son Tom and his wife Annie, daughter Tracy and her husband Jim, son Luke and his wife Rita, and his 10 grandchildren, Silvi, Ian, Emily, Samuel, Seth, Rylee, Brody, Hannah Eckblad, Madeleine, and Jonathan, as well as his stepmother Doris and siblings David, Elizabeth, Karen, Joyce, Linda, and Nancy. The public is invited to celebrate the life of Tom Eckblad on Saturday, August 4 at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 720 13th Ave S, Minneapolis. 10:00 AM visitation, 11:00 AM service. Private luncheon for family following the service. I love you, my Tom. Jeanie.
(Star Tribune.) Published on August 1, 2018