Thomas James Filban III was born on January 11, 1931 in Struthers, Ohio at the home of his parents, Thomas Filban Jr and Mildred Sodeman Filban; he died at home on January 8, 2023 in Magnolia, Texas. As a child groing up in northeasten Ohio, he must have felt already God's call for his life, when he practiced his preaching on the family's chickens. After his graduation from high school, Tom joined the Air Force in 1951, serving in Japan and Korea during the Korean Conflict. Upon completion of his tour, he married Elsie Joan Johnston on March 17, 1955.

After some engineering-related studies at Youngstown College, Tom moved his young family in 1958 to Houston, Texas. It was in the early '60s that Tom began to seriously heed God's call to preach the Gospel. He served as a pastor in Lake Jackson, Tx during the late '60s, and ministered in many churches throughout the country over the course of the next 50 years. He loved the Word of God, and was a lifelong student of the Bible.

Tom also loved music; he was an accomplished pianist and vocalist, and he and Joan passed along their love of music to their children. He enjoyed hiking, fishing, and tennis with the kids, and rarely passed up the opportunity for a family game of Scrabble. During midlife, he became an accomplished lapidary, specializing in polished turquoise for southwestern jewelry. Above all, he was a faithful, loving husband and devoted father, and lived a life of dedication to the Lord.

Tom is survived by his wife Joan, his sisters Virginia Recklies and Robin Middleton (Laurence), his four children Thomas

Filban IV (Debbie), Erik Filban (Tomoko), Keith Filban (Lori), and Ann Robinson (William), along with eleven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, Jan 13, 2023, at Klein Funeral Home, 14711 FM 1488, Magnolia, TX at 10:00 a.m., preceeded by a time of visitation from 9:00-10:00. A visitation time will also be held on the evening prior, Jan 12, 5:00-8:00, at the same location.