Thomas Halsey Harper

Thomas Halsey Harper, a husband, father, friend, and captain, passed away on Wednesday August 21st, 2024 due to complications resulting from the West Nile virus. He is survived by his loving wife, Patti, three adoring children, and five amazing grandchildren.

Tom was a navigator in all aspects of life--taking the lead, charting his course, and moving forward with those he cared most about. Whether he was flying, sailing, or driving, he was the captain, and we all knew he would take us where we needed to go.

His journey began in Glen Cove, NY, born into a wonderful family of three brothers, a gentle, lovely mother and a strong, capable father. He graduated from Seaholm High School in Michigan and attended Ohio Wesleyan University, where he played lacrosse and majored in geography.

He then joined the United States Navy, where he planned to work on ships, but ultimately chose the sky over the sea--becoming a C-130 pilot. This path led him to Guam, where chance and fate brought him together with a beautiful young teacher from Texas, Patricia Ann Glomski. They knew from the very start they were meant to live their lives in each other's arms.

Married on August 17th, 1974, they spent their early years on Guam, and then in Stratford, CT where he began his flying career as a corporate pilot with Great Lakes Carbon Corporation. Tom then started his commercial career flying with Texas International while living in Crosby, TX--eventually becoming a MD-80 and B-777 captain for Continental Airlines while living with his family in Aurora, CO and The Woodlands, TX.

He rose to the highest levels of aviation, logging over 23,000 hours of flight time and helming the state-of-the-art planes on global routes, in addition to working as a highly respected instructor for young pilots. He finished his career at Jet Airways an Indian airline, spending part of his time based in Mumbai as he flew to places like Paris, France and Narita, Japan.

Not one to stay in place, he spent his free time as captain of family sailing voyages in the British Virgin Islands, cross-country road trips to iconic destinations like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Mt. Rushmore, and international trips throughout Europe and the Americas.

He was not only a navigator, he was a fighter--battling and beating health issues in his later years with stoicism and strength. He spent his final weeks on an Alaskan cruise with his family, where his West Nile symptoms began. While he did improve in the last days, complications arose suddenly and he passed away--arriving at his final destination just after celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with the person he loved most. He will be remembered as a good man, an ideal father, and a devoted husband. We will always love you.

Tom is survived by his wife, Patti, children Becky, Erin and Danny, his sons-in-law John and Ryan and grandchildren Olivia, Jake, Zach, Harper and Amelia.

In lieu of flowers, if you’d like to make a donation in Tom's name, please consider one of his parish's Outreach Ministries such as St. Anthony's Bread - food pantry or St. Vincent de Paul - helps the disadvantaged. Thank you. See more information and donation links here:

https://ap.church/ministries/outreach/

A visitation for Tom will be held Wednesday, August 28, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM with a Rosary at 6:00 pm at Forest Park The Woodlands Funeral Home & Cemetery, 18000 Interstate 45 S, The Woodlands, TX 77384.

Funeral service will be held at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Thursday, August 29, 2024 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

Interment will be held at the Houston National Cemetery (10410 Veterans Memorial Dr., Houston, TX 77038) on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 9:15am.