Obituary of John Hyder

John “Tom” Hyder passed away suddenly on October 10, 2024, at the age of 73. He was a resident of Marvella Senior Living Community in Highland Park (St. Paul), Minnesota. Tom was born October 26, 1950, in Atlanta, GA, to John Carl “Whack” Hyder and Vera Hyder. He attended North Fulton High School and Georgia Tech where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management. He went on to obtain a Master of Education in Community Education in 1974 from the University of Florida.

While at Georgia Tech, Tom played basketball under the direction of his father, Whack Hyder, who was coach of the basketball team. As a 6’7” forward, he lettered all four years of college. His passion for the team never waivered; he could be found glued to the television every time Georgia Tech was playing. His love of sports continued throughout his life, eventually including the MN Gophers and the Vikings.

Tom began his career in the field of aging in Oklahoma as the director of Area Agency on Aging. While living there, his son Andrew was born. He then moved his family to Oregon to work as a director for another Area Agency on Aging. In 1993 he moved to Minneapolis to become the director of Vital Aging Network, then ElderCare Rights Alliance. Eventually he served as Executive Director of the Minnesota Gerontological Society (MGS) from which he retired in 2022. He was president of the MN Network of Hospice and Palliative Care while employed with MGS.

After meeting Carole through mutual friends, he moved to Minnesota in 1993. In 1994, Tom and Carole were married. Their life was blessed with a beautiful home on Minnehaha Parkway and always a cat or two (or three). He became a master gardener through the University of Minnesota His gardening skills were evident in both the front and back yards of their home. His gardens were featured twice in the Hennepin County garden tours. In 2023, Tom and Carole moved to Marvella to begin another phase of life together.

Tom loved life and was always up for new adventures. His enthusiasm was quickly recognized by those he met at Marvella. He was known as “tall Tom” because of his height, but also his abilities to fix just about everything, retrieve items from high shelves, and offer thoughtful insights about life. His enthusiasm for sports was not dampened at Marvella.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, John and Vera Hyder and his son Andrew Hyder. He is survived by his wife Carole, his sister and brother-in-law Julia and Pat Killimett, daughter-in-law Adrienne Hyder, grandsons Leon and Rey, and nephews Cameron (Angie), Kevin (Kelly) and Cam (Kathryn) Killimett.

A service for Tom will be held on Saturday, October 26 (Tom’s birthday) at 10:00 AM at Marvella, 825 Mount Curve Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55116.

In lieu of flowers a donation can be made to the Minnesota Gerontological Society: “In memory of Tom Hyder” - https://www.mngero.org/donate

Livestream link will be forthcoming.