Thomas Tom Prentis Kehoe

Tom passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on April 3rd. He had been under the care of Capital Caring Hospice since March 18th. He had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis for the past four years. During the past ten years, he also had prostate and breast cancer.

Tom was born in Ohio to Rose Prentis Kehoe and Thomas John Kehoe, but moved to Silver Spring, MD at the age of five. He attended St. Michaels Catholic School for eight years and graduated in 1952 from Gonzaga College High School in DC, where he played football, basketball and baseball. After a year at Fordham University, he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1957. He spent twenty six years in the Army as an infantry officer and attended both airborne and ranger schools. He served in airborne, straight-leg, motorized, mech and air assault units and enjoyed them all. He also had a tour on the Infantry Board and managed Infantry systems development at AMC. Wedged in between was a tour in Viet Nam (where he served as the S3 (operations) of the second brigade in the First Infantry Division), grad school for an MBA at the University of Alabama, Armed Forces Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He managed two major developmental programs and during five years in the Pentagon worked on the POM. Medals he earned while in the service include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal with Valor and Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal and Air Medal.

Retiring in 1983, he joined Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA lab, and adapted to a totally different culture over a period of eleven years, during which he worked primarily on the International Space Station. From there he moved to Hughes, then Raytheon where he worked on Mission to Planet Earth until his retirement in 2000.

Tom freely donated his time to various organizations over the years. In the early years it was Scouts, Little League and basketball coaching. As computers became popular, he began using his skills to keep data bases, develop web sites, and write and publish newsletters for the Signal Hill Homeowners' Association, his West Point Class, the West Point Society of DC and the Northern Virginia Brain Injury Association where he also served as President and chaired the annual conference for a number of years. Among the awards he received are the Alan Mayer Award in 2001 for extraordinary service promoting the welfare of persons with brain injuries which was presented by the Northern Virginia Brain Injury Association and Brain Injury Services. The 2011 West Point Society of DC Distinguished Member Award and one for Distinguished Service to the Class of 1957 which was presented at the 55th reunion.

His hobbies included genealogy research, studying history, reading, watching all sports and spending time with the family. At one time, he enjoyed golf, but his arthritic knees soon put an end to that activity. He also loved the home we owned for a number of years in Water's Edge at Smith Mountain Lake, where he enjoyed relaxing on the dock, piloting our boat and entertaining family.

Tom will be missed by all his family and friends. He is survived by his wife of over 55 years, Katherine (Kay) and three children., Katherine R. (Kathy), Thomas P., Jr. (Tip), and Kevin A. Kevin's twin, Karen passed away in 1994 while pregnant with her third child. Additional family includes four adult grandchildren, Cheyne and Danielle Kehoe and Lauren and Alyssa LeBlanc and a great grandson, Cameron Kehoe. Other family members include Kevin's wife, Kim, and Karen's husband, Robert LeBlanc, his wife Jodi and their children, Kylie and Aidan.

Memorial contributions may be made to Capital Caring Hospice Services at 2900 Telestar Court, Falls Church, VA or the American Cancer Society.