He was born May 15, 1932, in Portsmouth, a son of the late Thomas Edward and Margaret Childers Sr.
He was also preceded in death by his wife, Julia Conley Hiles, Nov. 4, 1985; stepchildren, Robert Williams, Kenneth Williams and Patricia Carver; brothers, Bruce, Woodrow and Richard Gilly; and sisters, Dorothy Nance and Josephine Lemont.
He is survived by his stepchildren, Betty Fields of Orient, and Mary Tyrrell of Loveland; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Millie Pearl of Waverly.
Tom was a former employee of Newman






