Thomas Paul John Izod

A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, as well as a friend and neighbor to many in the community, he leaves behind Jane, his devoted wife of 56 years. Also grieving his passing are their three children and their families: Nathan, and his son Brody, Andrew and his wife Annie and their daughters Julianne and Caralyn, and Emily and her daughter Abigail, as well as Emily’s husband Josh and his son Jacob. Known affectionately as “Papa” to all his grandchildren, his love and caring for all is already sorely missed. In addition to his immediate family, Tom leaves behind many extended family members, both in the United States and in England, the country of his birth. His little dog Cody is still looking for him.

Tom was born in London, England, on April 12, 1945, to Thomas and Ann Izod. He grew up with his parents and two older sisters, Nuala and Carol, in the town of Ewell, Surrey, England. He is predeceased by his parents and his older sister, Nuala. His sister Carol is still alive and living in Weybridge, Surrey.

While studying at Oxford in 1968, he met his future wife Jane, who had come to England for a semester abroad. After a six-week whirlwind courtship when they decided to marry, they were officially engaged at Christmas, 1968, and married a year later on December 27, 1969.

Tom had a long and illustrious professional career in the sciences. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry with First Class Honors from the University of London in 1966. He then became a doctoral candidate at Oxford University, graduating with a Ph. D. in physical chemistry in 1969. Later that year, he was named as a National Science Foundation post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University until 1971. Following his successes at Harvard, Tom and his wife Jane then moved to Scotland when Tom became a research and teaching fellow at the University of St. Andrews from 1971 until 1974.

Following his impressive career in academia, Tom focused on a long and distinguished professional life in business as a technology leader in the field of specialty and commodity materials at Union Carbide, Waters Associates, Polaroid, Allied Signal, Honeywell, and Huber Technologies. He was granted 14 US Patents and authored 18 academic papers. He is noted, among many other accomplishments, for inventing an environmentally attractive method to decaffeinate coffee, commercializing a novel stain resistant technology for nylon fibers, and leading a team that created a novel colon health product concept using innovative tools. He was awarded an Innovation Green Belt certification in 2005, shortly before his retirement.

Tom, and his wife Jane, moved to St. James in Southport in 2006. While relishing his retirement by having more time to spend with his family, he also enjoyed golfing with friends and working in his garden. He became an active member of the community in St. James and Southport. He was a board member of the Associated Artisans of St. James, acting as Secretary and Scholarship Director. He served as a firefighter with the St. James Fire Department from 2007 to 2012. As a member of the Franklin Gallery Art Association in Southport, Tom was a commercially successful artist, specializing in oil paintings, focused primarily on landscapes and seascapes. He was also a board member and a docent for the Southport Historical Society, also serving as Secretary and Scholarship Director. Tom became an active member of the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church “lay weeders” to help maintain and beautify the grounds of his beloved church. Even after retiring, Tom returned to his great knowledge of chemistry by becoming an adjunct professor at Brunswick Community College in 2011.

Tom and Jane often enjoyed traveling during their years of retirement, either on their own, or with friends and family. Their last big trip together was a three-week cruise to Norway in 2019 to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. More recently, as a surprise gift to his father on Father’s Day, 2024, his eldest son Nathan took him to England to see his sister Carol and all his relatives overseas.

Tom was, above all, a family man. He was able to celebrate with his eldest granddaughter Julianne, now a rising junior at UNC Chapel Hill, when she graduated from high school. He had been looking forward to seeing his grandson Brody, and his granddaughter, Caralyn, graduating from high school next year, and seeing his step-grandson Jacob perform with the South Brunswick High School band in the fall. He also was able to see a video of his youngest granddaughter Abigail singing a solo in her spring concert in late April of this year, just before his passing.

Visitation for family and friends is planned for Saturday, May 16th, from 3 to 6 pm at Peacock Newnam & White, 1411 North Howe Street in Southport. The celebration of life communion service will be held at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church at 205 E. Moore Street on Sunday, May 17th at 2 pm, followed by a catered reception with remembrances by family members and friends at the church hall immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made by mail to the St. James Fire Department in honor of Tom Izod at 3628 St. James Drive, Southport, NC 28461, or the Interfaith Food Pantry located at 249 W. Boiling Spring Rd., Southport, NC 28461, using the website: https://www.soiicf.org/donations

Online condolences may be made at www.peacocknewnamwhite.com

Peacock - Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service, Southport, North Carolina.