Thomas Groth - artist, professor and lover of beauty - died on December 9, 2025, aged 78.

It was rare to see him without a pencil. Sketches filled post it notes, backs of receipts, margins in books or on manilla folders; pretty much anywhere there was white space. It was not uncommon for a rather stunned server to find a sketch of a women's beautiful face left behind on a napkin as he left a restaurant or cafe.

While he left an oeuvre of over 60 paintings and two homes which he himself designed, it was not this work that made him an artist. It was how he lived. Quoting from his well-worn copy of the Art Spirit by one of his artistic heroes, Robert Henri:

"Art when really understood is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things, anything, well."

Thomas did things well.

Thomas Groth was born in 1946 in Rockford, Illinois. His earliest memories were from his boisterous extended Italian family and the nuns who taught him at school. He was a fanatical baseball player and from an early age loved to draw. After high school, he attended Iowa State University where he studied advertising design. He was the first person in his family to go to university. In 1970, he was drafted into the military and fought in the Vietnam War.

In 1972, he married the love of his life, LaRue. He remained devoted and besmitten with her for his entire life.

They did their masters degrees together at the University of Illinois. In their free time, they played countless hours of table tennis. Afterwards, they moved to New York City, where Thomas worked at a major advertising agency (BBDO). A time which resulted both in well done work, but also many stories - as a "true ad man", which he regaled both his students and dinner parties with in later years.

In 1975, he began his career as a professor in advertising, first at Iowa State University and then at the University of West Florida (UWF), where he retired as professor emeritus. He taught thousands of students with passion and engagement as evidenced by his many teaching awards and his students' fond memories of him. His students won multiple awards, including winning a record four National Student Advertising Competitions, bringing UWF to the national map as a premier advertising program. This was recognized by the State of Florida House of Representatives.

Thomas lived well: enjoying travel, tennis, gentle places, museums, cooking, a good pun and a good bottle of wine with company. But he always came back to drawing and painting – producing works of harmony, draftsmanship and light.

Thomas is survived by his wife, LaRue, his son Paul (Marieke), and his siblings Connie (Fred) and Randy Groth as well as 19 nieces & nephews; 36 great nieces & nephews; and 2 great-great nieces.

Visitation will begin at 10:30am Thursday, December 18, 2025, with a Funeral Mass Celebrated at 11:00am at St. Ann Catholic Church, Gulf Breeze with Fr. John Cayer, celebrant.

The family gives special thanks to all of Thomas's caregivers in particular Shannon Blake.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made to the UWF Foundation in memoriam to Thomas Groth. See UWF Foundation .