Thomas A. Kayser Obituary
A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St., Kalamazoo. Friends may call on the family one hour prior to the service at the church beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment in the First United Methodist Church Columbarium. Contribution in his memory may be made to First United Methodist Church Stained Glass Window Restoration Project, in c/o the funeral home.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 4, 1935 the son of Arthur and Lillian (Graf) Kayser. Graduated from Bay View high school 1954 where he was captain of the swimming team, Layton School of Art (Milwaukee) 1959 major, Industrial Design. Attended Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI) on a scholarship, Major Exhibition Design.
He was united in marriage with Janet (Dalzin) on April 28, 1962 who survives with their children Cynthia (Troy) Cosgrove and Erik (Laura) Kayser, three wonderful grandchildren Anna Kayser, Joel Kayser, and Nicholas Cosgrove and brother Terry (CeCeile) Kayser and special cousin Karen (Blake) Wamester. He was preceded in death by his brother Robert Kayser.
Tom worked in Milwaukee as an Exhibit Designer. In 1965, he accepted the position of Assistant Director of the Flint institute of Arts (Flint, MI) designing numerous exhibits and catalogs. He founded the Flint Art Fair and "Friends of Modern Art" in 1967. In 1978, he was appointed Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) and organized many local and traveling exhibitions. Received a grant from the Michigan Council for the Arts in 1978 to develop the "ARTist" program a series of small traveling exhibitions of works from the KIA permanent collection.
In 1989, he started the Tom Kayser & Associates, an exhibition and graphic design firm which designed the "Inuit Art" exhibit at Northwestern Michigan University (Traverse City, MI), several exhibitions at the Holland Historical Museum (Holland, MI) and "The Cars of Indiana" exhibit at the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum (Auburn, IN).
He was appointed Executive Director of the Gilmore Car Museum (Hickory Corners, MI) in 1994. While there he designed special exhibits featuring Cadillac, Packard, and a special exhibition Russian Dictator, "Brezhnev's Limousine". Applied and received a grant from the Michigan Council for the Arts to construct a permanent interpretive center designed as a replica of a 1930's Shell filling station. Tom retired from the Gilmore Car Museum in 2002.
