Thomas Gerald Gaillard, Sr.

Thomas Gerald Gaillard Sr, 89 years of age, passed away on Friday, September 12, 2025 at Redstone Village after a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Tom was born in Seneca, South Carolina, on June 16, 1936, as the beloved third son of Frank and Marie Gaillard. During his early life in Seneca, he attended Seneca High School and met the love of his life, “Miss Becky,” and, after pledging his love and loyalty to the woman he loved most, they married in November of 1955. He was a member of the Seneca National Guard and was called to duty during the Bay of Pigs and later enlisted in the Army in 1962.

Tom was a proud U.S. Army veteran and Master Aviator, who flew both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. He served his country for 20 years, which included two tours in Vietnam and a plethora of stories of adventure, bravery, and survival, earning him the honor of a Bronze Star and Air Medals. During his years of service he earned his college degree from Troy State University. After his Army Career, he entered into Civil Service at Yuma, AZ, in 1982 and later transferred to Redstone Arsenal Technical Test Center in Huntsville, AL, for an additional 17 years of service before his retirement in January of 1999. Tom resided in the Madison-Huntsville area for the last 41 years of his life, but regularly journeyed back to his roots in Seneca for the Clemson football season with family and friends.

Tom was a selfless husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, who cherished spending time with his family, playing golf and bridge with his friends, and watching Clemson Football. His friends and family especially enjoyed his tenacity, quick wit, and dry sense of humor. He told the best of stories while sitting at the head of the table over his half-finished plate of steak, or around his bonfire at the lake– always bringing a mix of levity and introspection to every gathering. A perpetual problem-solver in life, it makes sense that he was also mechanically gifted. Tom would problem-solve and persist to fix almost anything. His meticulous attention to the complex details of life and work modeled a solutions-oriented approach to working and living that inspired coworkers, friends, and family alike.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Marie Gaillard and his brother Michael Gaillard.

Tom is survived by his loving wife, Rebecca (Becky) Gaillard of 70 years; their two children: Susan (Jerry Michael) Bunyard; Jerry (Debbie) Gaillard; his six grandchildren: Erin (Justin) Riddle; Justin (Emma) Bunyard; Kristin (Garrett) McLaughlin; Jordan (Greg) Kareis; Cassidy Gaillard; Mackenzie (Avery) Smith; and his nine great-grandchildren: Cady and Austen Riddle; Eli, Murphy Jane and Max Bunyard; Cameron and Jordi Mclaughlin; and Cooper and Colton Kareis, his brothers Donald( Mary) Gaillard and John ( Sheila, deceased) Gaillard.

Visitation will be 2:30pm on September 20, 2025 at Legacy Chapel, 16 Hughes Road, Madison, AL. The Memorial Service will begin at 3:00pm in the same location. He will be laid to rest in Seneca, SC at Oconee Memorial Cemetery on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warriors or Hospice of North Alabama in his name.