PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) — Gerry Thomas, credited with inventing the TV dinner more than a half-century ago and giving it its singular name, has died at the age of 83.
Thomas died Monday, Terry Crowley at Messinger Mortuary said Wednesday. He had a long bout with cancer, relatives told The Arizona Republic.
Thomas was a salesman for Swanson and Sons, based in Omaha, Neb., in late 1954 when he had the idea of packaging frozen meals in a segmented tray.