Thomas Alfred “Tom” Maire, 85, of Hoopeston, IL, passed away at 9:43 A.M. Sunday July 23, 2023, at his home. He was born March 15, 1938, in Danville, IL, the son of Lester Maire, Sr. and Faye (LeConte) Maire. He married Elizabeth A. “Betty” Barteck on June 13, 1959, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Westville, IL. She preceded him in death.
He is survived by one daughter, Tracey Taylor of Danville, IL; one son, Jeff (Deanna) Maire of Covington, IN; two sisters-in-law, Mary Carter of Westville, IL and Wilma Maire of Highland, IL; two grandchildren, Zach Maire and Melissa (Kyle) Smith; two step-grandchildren, Rebecca and Chris Taylor; six nieces; and four nephews.
In addition to his wife of 49 years, he was preceded in death by his parents and in-laws; one sister, Loretta Gulick; and one brother, Lester Maire, Jr.
Tom graduated from Danville High School and then entered the United States Navy, serving from 1956 until he was honorably discharged in 1961. After the service, he returned to Danville and married Betty, starting a family. The opportunity arose to open his own grocery store on Main Street in Danville across from the junior college. In the mid 1960’s he went to work for Holiday Square IGA, along with Betty. In the early 1970’s Tom went to work for Grab-It-Here Food Markets, and Betty became a stay-at-home mom. Once the Grab-It-Here chain closed, Tom and Betty opened Save-A-Lot in Hoopeston in 1980. The community welcomed them, and their business was quite successful. The retail operation had grown differently from the Save-A-Lot franchise model so Tom had a challenge for his customers to help give the store a new name. From the submissions, Price-Less Foods was chosen, and succeeded until the sale of the business and his retirement in 2006.
What made the store survive was his “customer first” motto, and he built that culture with the employees. Tom also gave back to the community by supporting girls' softball, little league, and various other charities thru donations or helping when he could.
After his retirement from Price-Less Foods, Tom worked at the Hoopeston Area High School cafeteria. He was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Hoopeston and was a former member of the Vermilion County Merit Commission and the Hoopeston Chamber of Commerce. His favorite pastime was golfing, especially with his special friend, Chalmers Flint.
Cremation rites will be accorded. A visitation will be held 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Tuesday August 1, 2023, at Anderson Funeral Home, 427 E. Main St. Hoopeston, IL. The memorial service will follow the visitation and will begin at 1:00 P.M. Tuesday at the funeral home with Father Michael Powell officiating. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery in Danville, IL.
Memorial donations may be made in memory of Tom to the donor’s choice.
