Thomas Charles Mekeel, a devoted family man, innovative advertising executive and generous friend, died at the Mennonite Home on Saturday. He was 92.

Tom was the husband of the late Celestine Krantz Mekeel, whom he met on a blind date. They were married for 59 years, until her death on Christmas Eve 2007.

A successful Watt & Shand advertising executive in his working years, Tom was an optimistic, outgoing person who made friends easily.

Tom loved movies, remembering details about films he hadn't seen in decades "" a trait that endeared him to anyone seeking an answer to a movie trivia question. He also enjoyed playing bridge and listening to the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which he first saw as a college freshman when it was an obscure band, then went on to see a half-dozen times.

Born in Atlantic City, N.J., on May 20, 1921, Tom was the son of the late Charles Haviland Mekeel Jr. and Mary Edwards Mason Mekeel.

He grew up in Reading, graduating from Reading High School (Class of 1938) and Lehigh College (Class of 1942). At both Reading High and Lehigh, Tom was an editor and columnist for their school papers and had leading roles in school plays.

Tom worked briefly as assistant manager of the Capitol Theater in York and doing mechanical drawing in Chambersburg before being drafted into the Army Air Corps during World War II. He became a cryptographer, graduating first in his class of 75 trainees.

After his military service, Tom returned to southeastern Pennsylvania, finding a job as a copywriter with an advertising agency in Reading for $35 a week. Tom next joined an advertising agency in York, becoming copy chief, then owned and operated his own agency in York for six years. That led to his being recruited by Watt & Shand, then Lancaster County's leading department store, which hired Tom in 1954 as advertising manager. He held that position for 30 years. Tom overhauled the department store's newspaper advertising program, immediately eliminating the ads' standing headline of "Closed Mondays." Instead, Tom introduced a distinctive look. They featured eye-catching line-drawing illustrations, the generous use of white space to "frame" the illustrations and groupings of merchandise by category. Tom also gave the Watt & Shand ads a slogan, "The Store With More," was the first local newspaper advertiser here to use tabloid inserts and the first to use color. His imaginative work earned him numerous awards in national advertising competitions held by the Chicago-based Retail Advertising Conference and the New York-based Retail Advertising Week magazine. It also led to a seat on the board of directors of the national Retail Merchants Association's sales promotion division.

While he was in the midst of his advertising career, in 1966 Tom surprisingly found himself with a second job that would outlast the other. Tom at that time had three young sons who were swimming during the winters for the YMCA. Week after week, he came home from the Saturday meets, wrote stories about the results for the Sunday News and dropped off the stories at the newspaper's office. George Crudden, then the Sunday News sports editor, suggested that Tom come into the office and write them. Impressed with the writing quality, Mr. Crudden offered Tom a part-time job. Tom, realizing he'd soon be facing college tuition bills for his children, accepted, intending to stay only a few years. But he found that he enjoyed the work so much that he stayed with the Sunday News for 41 years. Tom also was active in community service. An East Hempfield Township resident, he served on the township's zoning commission in the early 1960s and was judge of elections about that time. He served his church, Mt. Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, in many ways too, including as an elder, usher and newsletter editor. Tom was named "Man of the Year" by the Conestoga Chapter of the American Business Club in 1963.

Tom is survived by four children: Susan M. Volker, wife of James L. Volker; Peter C. Mekeel, husband of Audrey M. Mekeel; Daniel H. Mekeel, husband of Ann B. Mekeel; and Timothy T. Mekeel, husband of Alison R. Mekeel; all of Lancaster. Tom also is survived by four grandchildren: Emily M. Cauler, wife of Chad M. Cauler; David C. Mekeel; Paige E. Mekeel; and Colin T. Mekeel; all of Lancaster. In addition, Tom is survived by two great-grandchildren: Benjamin M. Cauler and Nicholas C. Cauler, both of Lancaster.

Funeral services will be held at 10 AM Saturday, February 1, 2014 at Charles F. Snyder, Jr Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz with Chaplain Dorcas Martzall officiating. Friends will be received at the funeral home one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Greenmount Cemetery, 721 Carlisle Ave., York, PA at 12:30 following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc., PO Box 17279, Baltimore, MD 21203-7279.