Thomas Charles Leiser

Thomas Charles Leiser, age 80 (LXXX}, died on 1 February 2025, following a yearslong battle with blood cancers caused by his exposure to Agent Orange while acting as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Navy in 1970.

Born in Bethesda, Maryland, on November 24, 1944, Tom was the beloved son of Harvey Erwin Leiser and Geraldine Seitz Leiser. With the end of WWII, the family returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Tom spent his youth. He was a proud Blue Duke of WFBHS.

After interviewing at many universities offering football and track scholarships, Tom accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in the great class of 1967. He distinguished himself as a scholar and a football player, proudly scoring a touchdown in the 1964 Army Navy game. It is said that he ran with the grace of a race horse.

Immediately after graduation, Tom attended the Naval Postgraduate School to pursue studies in Mathematics with special emphasis on Computer Sciences. His thesis was a study of prime numbers and received international attention. He was invited to join the Sigma Xi Society.

After receiving his Masters Degree, Tom joined the USS Higbee, DD 806 in Long Beach, CA where he met and married his wife of 56 years, Jany Parker. Upon his return from a second tour in Vietnam, they moved to Annapolis where Tom taught Math courses at USNA and worked with the plebe football team for two years until his separation from the Navy.

In 1973 Tom began a thirty plus year career with IBM that started in Baltimore and ended in Raleigh, NC with stops in Washington D.C., New York and Florida. He loved international travel and the friends he made throughout the world. American Airlines honored him with a Million Miles flyer award.

Always a teacher, Tom enjoyed sharing his experiences and knowledge of Vietnam with local high school students in an elective called the "Lessons of Vietnam". He also indulged Jany's love of cruising, the longest being 52 days that included a visit to Vietnam.

Those remaining to cherish Tom's memory are his wife, Jany; their beloved sons, Bill (Jeri); Brian (Hannah); John (E'onswaye); grandchildren: Brogan, Landen, Skylar, Ava, Joey, Charleigh and Maddie; his sister, Sally Ann Leiser; Lynda Parker; Bob and Terry Stote and many loved nieces, nephews and families.

A Celebration of Life will be held on March 2, 2025 at 2:00 pm at the Lands End Clubhouse in Emerald Isle, NC. To honor Tom, please give your loved ones a big bear hug. He loved a firm handshake and a good hug.