Col. Thomas P. Foss

Thomas Parker Foss was born on July 6, 1946, and died peacefully at home on January 7, 2026. He was 79 years old. He is survived by Rita, his wife of 58 years; his children Patrick, Christopher, Teresa, and Melissa; his grandchildren Nathan, Connor, Jessica, Katie, Lucy, Jenny, and Tommy; and countless others whose lives he touched in some way through his quiet strength, dignity, and generosity of spirit.

A graduate of Florida State University, he spent thirty years in the United States Air Force, retiring with the rank of full colonel. Later in life, he enjoyed researching genealogy, building elaborate model train sets, and travelling the world with Rita, eventually visiting over a hundred countries.

He was the kind of person whom others relied on, for they knew his judgement would be sound, and he would not let them down. He was the kind of person with a strong moral center, a person who knew what was right and what was wrong. He was the kind of person who made mistakes and learned from them, someone who became a better man over time.

He was also the kind of person who wore a black felt outback hat. And when he was on trips, fellow travelers who didn’t know him would sometimes follow him, because they figured The Man With The Hat knew where he was going.

He didn’t, not always, but somehow everything always worked out.