Thomas Waldo "Tom" Eskine

Thomas Waldo “Tom” Erskine of Franklin, Ind., died Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026 at Franciscan Health Indianapolis. He was 76.

Tom was born July 14, 1950, at Creighton Memorial St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha, Neb., the third of seven children, to Thomas and Mabel Catherine (Banker) Erskine. They preceded him in death.

Most of his childhood was spent in Sioux Falls, S.D., where he started a paper route on foot that later was augmented with the birthday gift of a red Schwinn bicycle from his parents.

The family later moved to Washington, where Tom graduated from Renton High School in 1968. He also attended Bellevue College.

Tom held several jobs throughout his life, pursuing careers as diverse as commercial painting, hog-farming and retail management. But his longest-tenured and most important professional role was Executive Director of the Tacoma Council of the Society of St. Vincent DePaul from 1999 until his retirement in 2012. He was a member of St. Leo Catholic Church in Tacoma, Wash.

He was an outdoorsman whose main hobby was fishing, but not just catching fish. Tom spent hours making lures, tying flies, wrapping fishing poles and making close examination of water to find the best spots. The family estimates his fishing pole collection numbers in the dozens today. He loved introducing others to fishing, too, including arranging special fishing poles for his young nieces that they called fishing wands. He was a teacher in other ways, educating on painting techniques, building fires, growing mushrooms and preparing a patio base. He also pursued artistic endeavors, including painting and woodworking.

As a young man, Tom hiked the Wonderland Trail, a 93-mile backpacking loop that circumnavigates Mt. Rainier. He was a supporter and frequent visitor of the US national park system and had visited many national parks and forests in the West, including Badlands, Cascade, Glacier, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Yellowstone and Yosemite.

He had a dry wit and enjoyed watching Westerns. Tom loved football, in particular the Super Bowl-winning 2013-14 Seattle Seahawks. “Three yards and a cloud of dust,” he’d often say, providing his own color commentary.

He married Theresa McDermott in 2001, and they lived many years in a small cabin they lovingly restored on Lake Whitman in Pierce County, Wash., where they regularly hosted family and friends and where they could see Mt. Rainier rising above the clouds.

He is survived by his wife, Theresa McDermott-Erskine; three daughters, Jennifer Hynes of New York City, Emily (Chris) George of University Place, Wash., and Jacqueline Erskine of Issaquah, Wash.; a stepson, Matthew (Amy) Gaskin of Fairland; a stepdaughter, Jennifer (Erin) Gaskin of Franklin; five sisters, Mary Lou (Gaylen) Mulloy of Graham, Wash., Theresa (James) Zimmerman of Renton, Wash., Mimi (Michael) Jacobson of Clermont, Fla., Marian Jane (Richard) Gommermann of Lecanto, Fla., and Margaret (James) Campbell of Newcastle, Wash.; his stepmother, Maggie Erskine of Puyallup, Wash.; six grandchildren, Lucas (Camille), Alexis, Aaron, Evan, Wade and Fiona; four step grandchildren, Christian, Anthony (Cheyenne), Brandon and GracLynn; two step great-granddaughters; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Mabel Catherine (Erskine) Smith.

A memorial service is planned in Washington next summer.

Tom’s family would like to share their deep gratitude to the staff at DaVita in Franklin for their years of superb care as he underwent dialysis three days a week, as well as the medical and palliative care teams in the adult intensive care unit at Franciscan who cared for Tom in his final days.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions should be made to the InterChurch Food Pantry in Franklin, St. Leo Food Connection in Tacoma or, as Tom would say, anywhere hungry people are fed.

Swartz Family Community Mortuary and Memorial Center 300 South U.S. 31 (Morton Street) in Franklin, IN is handling the arrangements.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.swartzmortuary.com. Information 317-738-0202.