Dr. Tom Gerhardt died Monday Sept. 14, 2026 at the Manistee County Medical Care Facility where he had been a resident for a number of years.

Tom was a well known and highly regarded historian who researched and chronicled many aspects of the history of Manistee County. He served as assistant director of the Manistee County Historical Museum (MCHM) from 1991 to 2016, and during his tenure there he created numerous historical exhibits and helped Manistee sites gain national historical register status and state historical markers.

Of all Tom’s historical exhibits, and there were many, he is best remembered for his incredible Christmas displays. He began them in his home, Windy Valley Cottage, where throughout each December and January, he took folks on tours of his extensive collection of antique decorations on Christmas trees, miniature villages, and running antique trains presented throughout his home.

Born in Cape Girardeau, MO, Nov. 7, 1944, Tom took his bachelor and master of science in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University and his doctorate from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale IL, after which he headed the restoration of the historic Glenn House in Cape Girardeau before moving permanently to the Onekama area with his mother in 1986.

Once established year-round in Onekama, Tom was on several governmental boards, was secretary of the Portage Lake Association for many years, and was instrumental in the restoration of the fountain in the Village’s park. He also worked as a journalist and wrote a number of articles about places and things in Manistee County for “The Old House Journal” and “Victorian Homes” magazines.

When Tom went to work for the MHCM in 1991 he brought along many of his antique Christmas decorations and trains adding them to the Museum’s artifacts and Christmas trees to provide the community with a detailed and ornate Christmas exhibit that included an extensive miniature village with running antique trains and decorations dating from 1880 - 1960. His last Christmas exhibit at MCHM was in 2015.

Called Dr. Christmas by some and loved by all, Tom will long be remembered for the joy his Christmas exhibits gave them, and his legacy of historical writings will continue to teach residents and visitors a like numerous aspects of Manistee County’s fascinating history.

Tom is survived by his sister Mary Kay Welker and her husband Loy; his nephew John Wondel II and his wife, Shana, daughter, Kathryn, and son, John Wondel III; his niece Andrea Welker and her partner, Kenneth Burgess II. The family, who generously gave many of Tom’s antique trains, miniature villages and vintage Christmas decorations to the Old Kirke Museum, asks that memorials in Tom’s name be given to the Old Kirke Museum, 304 Walnut St., Manistee, MI 49660 for the continued preservation and presentation of his collection there.