Thomas R. Muehl, 78, of North Prairie, Wisconsin passed away September 26, 2020. Thomas injured himself at home when he fell sideways off a set of stairs and landed on an antique coffee grinder. This led to a hard-fought three-month battle in the hospital which he lost.
Thomas was born on September 4, 1942 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He will be remembered as a philanthropist, a successful businessman and a lover of the Bible, planes, trains and automobiles. Tom was educated in the Waukesha Public School system and received a BS in Accounting at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He was a Teaching Assistant there while he pursued a Masters in Accounting. Tom served in the U.S. Army Reserve with a rank of Sergeant E5.
Tom was President of Dierks Waukesha from 1994 to 2015 at which time the family business was sold to U.S. Foods. At the age of ten Tom started working at Muehl’s Food Market for his parents. His mother was instrumental in his development as an outstanding foodservice salesman and businessman. With his in-depth knowledge, perspective and perseverance, Tom went the extra mile for his customers in Door County, Madison and Milwaukee.
Like his mother, Tom had a lot of character and interests. Tom was a private pilot who owned several airplanes, had an extensive collection of high performance Ford Mustangs (which he enjoyed running at Road America), had expert knowledge of steam-driven locomotives, loved to take vintage railroad trips and was an aficionado of collecting Early American furniture. Tom and his wife loved spending time with each other. They had planned on participating in a vintage road rally this summer with Tom driving and his wife navigating. Tom enjoyed the natural beauty of his country home and like his father, one of Tom’s favorite pastimes was mowing his own lawn.
Tom is preceded in death by his father, Robert Muehl, and mother, Kathryn (Volland) Muehl and is survived by his loyal customers, his heartbroken wife “My Lyn” Muehl, brother Eric (Susan) Muehl, brother Wesley (Donna) Muehl, special cousin and confidante David (Joan) Bauer as well as numerous other relatives and close friends. He is also survived by his former spouses Louise and Janice.
Tom loved people and enjoyed helping them. From your family, friends and loyal customers, Tom, we say to you:
“Auf Weidersein……’til we see you again”
On October 10, 2020 Tom was laid to rest at Prairie Home Cemetery, Waukesha, Wisconsin. Memorials can be made to one’s favorite charity or to one of Tom’s favorite charities: the Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, to be used for cardiac research; the Wisconsin Badger Camp Inc., P.O. Box 723, Platteville, Wisconsin 53818 or the UWM Foundation Inc., 1440 East North Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, to be used specifically for the Jerry Leer Advanced Accounting Scholarship.
