Grisham died instantly Monday from injuries sustained in an automobile accident near Youngstown, Ohio, according to news reports. To read more about the accident, see the Kane Republican.
News accounts say “Pastor Tom” and several family members were returning from a weeklong Thanksgiving vacation in Georgia and Ohio when their van swerved into a guardrail around 1:30 p.m. Monday. Grisham was ejected from the vehicle.
Also injured in the accident were the couple’s 17-year-old son, Andrew, and Grisham’s father, George J. Grisham. All survived after being treated at St. Elizabeth Health Center.
Grisham previously was pastor at Emmanuel Mission Church and several other congregations outside the Covenant. He was born December 12, 1945, in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and married Sandra L. Perry on September 24, 1966.
In addition to his wife, Sandra, survivors include a daughter, Amy Patterson of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; son David of Butler, Georgia; a sister, Mary Jerzak of Honeoye, New York; brother Timothy Grisham of Macon, Georgia; and two grandchildren.
Fellow pastors gathered this week to remember their friend.
“Tom was a motivator,” William Schneider, an associate pastor at Praise Fellowship in Russell told the Kane Republican newspaper. “He was a man who had big ideas for our community. He always encouraged our churches to work together.”
“Pastor Tom was loved by all who knew him,” Kane Mayor Doug Caldwell said. “Our community lost a businessman, a volunteer and a caring, giving person. He’ll certainly be missed.”
Grisham owned and operated the Amish Deli in Kane and often wore a black Amish-style hat. He was extensively involved in the community.
A former school bus driver in Kane, Grisham was chaplain of the Kane Volunteer Fire Department, the Ludlow Volunteer Fire Department, and Kane Community Hospital. He also was president of the Kane Fire Police and was a member and former president of the Kane Ministerial Association.
Memorials can be directed to the Grisham Memorial Fund in care of Northwest Savings Bank, 56 Fraley Street, Kane, PA, 16375.
