Thomas Lee Force

On November 30th, 2020, Thomas L. Force (69) of Nashville, TN, passed away peacefully with his wife by his side. He laughed and loved until the very end. He was born March 25, 1951 in Vandalia, IL, son of the late Orville and Helen (Stapp) Force. After graduating from Vandalia High School he attended Harvard College where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. After taking a year off to be a stage manager for rock concert venues in and around the country, he went to Harvard Medical School. Tom continued to live in the Boston area for many years, raising his daughters in Natick, MA prior to moving to Philadelphia and later Nashville.

Tom was not only a beloved husband, father, stepfather and grandfather but an incredible colleague, physician, coach, scientist, teacher and friend. Tom maintained a lifelong active lifestyle and appreciation for the beauty of nature. He enjoyed hiking, skiing, cycling and golfing and spent many summers on Cape Cod, where he never missed a beautiful sunset on the deck. Tom was also a lifelong lover of animals, from a cat named Lola at Harvard, to Golden Retrievers Hobson and Gavin, and later two more treasured feline companions, Vera and Piper. He was happiest spending time with family, sharing jokes around the dinner table with his favorite music on in the background.

Tom completed his residency at the University of Vermont and then his cardiology fellowship at West Roxbury VA Medical Center in Boston. He moved to Massachusetts General Hospital in 1985 to run the Preventive Cardiology Program and also served as Director of the Stress Testing Laboratories. It was there that he began research that would shape his career. He was a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiac Myocyte Biology Laboratory, Molecular Cardiology Research Institute at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, and the James C Wilson Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director for the Center for Translational Medicine at Jefferson Medical College from 2005-2012, before moving the Center to Temple University School of Medicine from 2012-2014. He held the Grossman Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and was Director of Cardiovascular Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center prior to his retirement in 2016. He was a member of the editorial board of Circulation and the Journal of Biological Chemistry, held numerous leadership positions in the American Heart Association and the Heart Failure Society of America, including President, and had over 150 peer reviewed publications. Tom was internationally recognized for his work in the field of Cardio-Oncology and received multiple grants to support his research.

In addition to his wife, Wendy Buck, Tom is survived by his children Meghan Force (m. Alex Rein, grandsons Matthew and Henry), Emily Force, and his step-children Alison and Morgan Buck. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Janet Gillmore. The family wishes to express their sincerest appreciation to the staff at Abe’s Garden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Truro Conservation Trust, Great Hollow Beach Project, PO Box 327, North Truro, MA 02652 or Abe’s Garden Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Center of Excellence, 115 Woodmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37205. A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at a later date.