Thomas Joseph Luddy

Thomas Joseph Luddy, 90, passed away on Sunday, July 6, 2014 at Greenspring in Springfield, VA. Tom is survived by his wife, Patricia Ann Sweeney Luddy, also of Springfield, VA. The couple was married in Brooklyn, NY in 1953, and celebrated 61 years of marriage on May 16, 2014. Tom is also survived by his grateful children and their spouses, Stephen Ailbe Luddy also of Springfield, VA; Brian Edward Luddy and his wife Sherry of Winchester, VA; Thomas William Luddy and his wife Karon of Charlotte, NC; Mary Patricia Cornett of Alexandria, VA; Elizabeth Ann Rettie and her husband Scott of Annapolis, North Beach, and Bethesda, MD; loving grandchildren, Charlotte Bowman, David Luddy, Amy and Christopher Cornett; and cousins, nieces and nephews both in the U.S and in Ireland. Born and raised in Utica, NY, Tom was the youngest of six children of Thomas Francis and Margaret Kiely Luddy. His parents emigrated from County Tipperary, Ireland in 1910, arriving at Ellis Island on the S.S. Carmania. Tom is now reunited in heaven with his parents, his brother John Luddy and his sisters Margaret, Alyce, and Mary Luddy, and Kathleen Benson. Tom attended Saint Francis de Sales High School in Utica, NY. He left Syracuse University in his second year to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Tom served his country from March 1943 to February 1946 as an airplane engine mechanic stationed in Alamogordo, NM. After the war, Tom returned to Syracuse University, graduating in 1948 with a degree in forestry. Tom played a major role in the early structural wood products industry as product manager for Timber Engineering Company (TECO), in Washington, DC, the largest private wood products laboratory in the U.S. TECO was established by the National Forest Products Association to determine the strength values and physical characteristics of wooden timbers and to promote the use of lumber in engineering construction. Ever the trailblazers, Tom and Pat were early residents of Springfield, VA in the 1950s. They were founding members of St. Bernadette Parish in 1959, where Tom served as a lector and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Tom and Pat were among the first residents to move into Greenspring in December 1998. Tom was a man of strong faith. His greatest joy was time spent with family. He credited his own parents with leaving the legacy of a strong and loving family. Together with Pat, he fulfilled his greatest wish by doing the same for his children and grandchildren. Charming and witty, he made friends easily, and they were devoted to him. As an avid golfer, he had his share of triumphs on the golf course but valued the camaraderie with his friends above all else. Tom was a sports fan who faithfully rooted for Syracuse and the Washington Redskins and was a coach for the Springfield Little League. He loved the family dogs and served as the family's chief dog walker at family gatherings. Following his retirement in 1989, Tom and Pat travelled extensively. They settled into Greenspring, where they enjoyed meaningful friendships with their congenial peers. A memorial service will be held at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer and interment at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to "Trees in Memory" through the Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410 or www.ArborDay.org. A Memorial Mass will be held in in the Chapel at Greenspring at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 5, 2014, with a celebration of his life to follow at the the Hunter Crossing Conference Center, also at Greenspring, 7410 Spring Village Drive, Springfield, VA.

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Thomas Joseph Luddy

March 18, 1924 - July 6, 2014