John "Tom" Gilpin

John Thomas “Tom” Gilpin passed away on July 27, 2026, in Lakeland Florida with his wife Linda by his side.

Tom was born and raised in Logan, West Virginia in 1941 to Earl Gilpin and Ollie Gilpin (née Watts), and was the youngest sibling to his sisters Betty, Janet and Wilma. He attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia while working in sales.

Tom married Linda Winters on April 20, 1963 in West Virginia.

He served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Vietnam for about two years before being honorably discharged.

Tom and Linda then moved to Winter Haven Florida and built a successful business “Tom‘s Mobile Home Sales” in Haines City. They adopted their daughter Kerri in 1975 and then moved to Haines City where Tom could spend more of his free time fishing.

Tom spent Sundays teaching Sunday school at Village Church of God in Winter Haven, Florida, where the family were members. He also served as chairman of the men’s outreach group “Men of Action” for the state of Florida, where he oversaw volunteer work in many churches across the state and sponsored conventions that inspired men in the Church of God.

Tom retired to Lakeland, Florida where he and Linda enjoyed playing card games with friends and neighbors.

He is survived by his wife, Linda Gilpin (née Winters); his daughter, Kerri Percy (née Gilpin) and son-in-law, Jason Percy; his sister, Wilma Wright (née Gilpin) and brother-in-law, Don Wright.