Thomas J. GilbertBLOOMINGTON, IL: Thomas J. Gilbert, 89, of Bloomington, passed away at 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2016 in Normal.Visitation will be held from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Monday, January 2, 2017 at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home. His funeral and interment will be private. Interment will be at Park Hill Cemetery, Bloomington. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to his church, St. Patrick Church of Merna.To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.Tom was one of six children born to John and Ellen Gorman Gilbert, born on November 16, 1927 in Newark, OH. He was preceded in death by his parents and his five siblings, Marianne Gray, Edward, Charles, Jack and William Gilbert, all of Newark, OH.Tom attended St. Charles Preparatory Catholic High School in Columbus, OH, where he studied to be a priest. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Illinois State University in Normal.He was a United States Army Veteran, drafted in 1950 during the Korean Conflict, serving for 2 years.Tom was one of the first employees at State Farm's East Central Regional Office in Newark, OH when it was opened in 1958. It was there that he met his wife-to-be, Virginia M. "Ginny" Wisener. They married on September 2, 1961 in Newark, OH.In October of 1968, Tom and Ginny and their three children moved to Bloomington with the transfer of Tom's job to State Farm Corporate Headquarters, retiring in 1992.Surviving family members include; his wife, Ginny, Bloomington; three children, Michael (Trish) Gilbert, Mesa, AZ, Mary (Tom) Bley, Bloomington and Joseph (Paige) Gilbert, Carmel, IN; 11 grandchildren, Tasha (Toby) Dunn, Heather & Nicole Gilbert, Ashley (Robert) Anderson, Courtney (Eric) Anderson, Madison Bley, Owen, Grace, Gabrielle, James and John Gilbert. Also surviving are six great-grandchildren, Zoey, Tucker, Tinley, Charlotte, Thomas and Nora.Tom enjoyed golf and tennis; he was an original member of the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington and a member of the El Paso Golf Club for many years.His catholic faith was very important to him and his greatest joy came from spending his time with his family.Tom was blessed with good health and free from illness up until the last couple of months of his life. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Advocate Hospice, especially Michelle, Marilyn and Lizzy, for their compassion to Tom and his family.