Tom, Scott, & Tommy Downs: Christmas, 2004Tom was widely known in the Class of '58 and will be sorely missed. He had a natural smile, a friendly manner, and he stayed in touch with friends over the years by e-mail, calls, and visits. He attended several Reunions and was looking forward to our 50th next September.
Tom attended Springfield Junior College and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He worked as an industrial engineer for Sangamo Electric, Magnavox, Abbott Laboratories, and NCR in Ithaca, NY. He married twice and had three sons: Todd Lee, Scott Allyn, Thomas Marsh, and one grandchild.
In 1979 Tom settled in Dawsonville, GA, where he worked for Scientific Atlanta, and later DCA, as Manager of Requirements Planning. He designed and built a rustic home in the Georgia mountains. He became active with church and community work and sang in several choirs.
After retiring in the early 1990s, he joined Home Depot and worked there up to the time of his death. A devoted alum of Harvard Park School, he contributed much to its memory page, and he was especially fond of his 4th grade teacher, Anne Laura Webster.
Funeral arrangements are as follows: Bearden Funeral Home: visitation Fri, Jan 18 from 6-9 and funeral Sat, Jan 19 at 2:00 at Bethel United Methodist Church, both in Dawsonville. An obituary appears in the SJR for Wed, Jan 16, linked to a Guest Book for friends to sign.
5 comments:
I knew Tom for over 20 years, working with him at DCA in Alpharetta,Ga. He was a gentle and kind spirit who loved his family and the Lord greatly.
dennis vernon
I'm stunned. Tom had written to me within the past year to share our memories of Sangamo Electric where both of our fathers worked and I did too for a time. I didn't know Tom well in high school but was happy to hear from him. His emails were very welcome. What a great loss.
Barbara Edmiston Mitchell
I am so sorry to read of Tom's
passing. Mark and I went thru
Harvard Park and SHS with Tom and
I received such a warm letter from
Tom when Mark passed away. Tom
was a very cheerie, friendly and
warm person. My deepest sympathy
to Tom's family.
Marilyn Evans Bidwell
Tom and I grew up a block apart on S. Fifth St. We lost touch after high school, but traded some emails 2 - 3 years ago regarding the Harvard Park web site. I recall his father died suddenly of a heart attack while in North or South Carolina opening a new plant for Sangamo Electric. It seems that had to be more than 40 years ago. He was a young man. At least Tom's life span far exceeded his father's. --Mike McDaniels
I knew Tom first from church, then from high school. I got a cheerful, encouraging note from him following my heart sugery in 2006, and together we remembered our double-date to the governor's New Year's Eve party at the mansion our junior year...
--Allan Stephens
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