Jerome Thomas "Tom" Wilho Paananen , 73, went to see the Lord peacefully on April 26, 2022. He was predeceased by his parents, Wilho and Muriel and his sisters, Willa Gonce and Elizabeth May.

Tom was born in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Canada and grew up in Ohio. He was the son of a Lutheran minister and a high school biology teacher. He earned a full ride football scholarship , and B.S. in Business from Miami University. As a career human resource director in Connecticut and Tampa, he not only hired people, but he also mentored, guided, and shepherded them throughout their lives . He and his wife Linda moved to Mount Dora from Tampa in 2008 where he enjoyed living at the Country Club of Mount Dora and loved sharing strategies and ideas with the members of the Investment Club.

Tom was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Mount Dora where he blessed others with a kind, listening ear, studied the Bible , and joyfully sang praises to God off key.

He enjoyed traveling, watching football, telling cheesy jokes, and spending precious moments with his beautiful wife of 51 years. Tom loved praying daily for each of his six sisters and their families, bragging about his grandsons, studying the game of football, and challenged each of us to keep God first. He has his final victory in Jesus and is at peace; his sweet chariot has come to carry him home.

Tom is survived by his wife, Linda, daughter Wendy Simpson (James) and two grandsons, Robert and Kirk Simpson, four sisters, Vija Paananen , Dorothy Cornell, Juliana Lintz , and Zoan Smart.

In honor of Tom, please consider registering to become a bone marrow donor with BeTheMatch.com and lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the FUMC college scholarship fund.

Live streaming of Tom's service may be accessed by visiting:

https://youtube.com/c/FUMCMtDora

https://mtdorafumc.org/sermon-videos/