Thomas Robert Parr

A celebration of his life will be held at 11:00am on February 10th, 2018, at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA, 22042. There will be a brief service followed by a reception. Memorials may be made in Thomas’s name to the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

Thomas is survived by his daughters Nicole, Vanessa, and Dacee, his brother and sister Stewart and Nancy, and his granddaughter Jasmine. He will be missed by many nephews, cousins, in-laws, and close friends around the world.

Thomas was born on July 4th, 1950 in Champaign, Illinois, to Robert Dale Parr, and Virginia Elizabeth Parr. He graduated from York High School in 1968. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a BA in Political Science in 1972, and from George Washington University with a Masters in Public and International Affairs in 1982.

Thom was an adventurer from an early age and in his student years spent time living in Spain and South America. Thom’s work as a consultant to financial institutions took him all over the world, later living in Mongolia, Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. An avid traveler, Thom was always excited by the prospect of the next trip, and the next adventure. He enjoyed immersing himself in different cultures, places, and books. He loved music, discovering new bands, and in turn sharing them with the people he loved. In more recent years, Thom settled in Falls Church, Virginia to be close to family. He most enjoyed catching up with old friends, spending time with his daughters and family, and of course exercising.

If you stopped by Thom’s house one evening (which most of you probably did), you would almost always find him sitting at the kitchen counter with his iPad, Skyping with his siblings or daughters, and enjoying a martini. While music or NPR blared from the radio, ribs cooked on the grill outside. You would be catching up with Thom (and perhaps having a spirited debate), and his cat Pumpkin would be lounging on the stool next to you. It wasn’t uncommon for neighbors to stop by, or to find a friend passing through town crashing on his couch. People gravitated towards him that way. Thom’s friends and family will always remember him as someone passionate about life and his future. His humor, generosity, and spirit will be missed by all who knew him.