Thomas Edmund Coony

Tom was born in Greenwich, Connecticut to Thomas Millard and Jane Comeau Coony. His father’s career in the U.S. Foreign Service took him all over the world, living in Spain, Pakistan, Greece, Curacao and Belize which led to many adventures, including, at age seven, driving with his father from Islamabad to Athens, sailing in the Aegean, hiking Mt Olympus, windsurfing and scuba diving wrecks in the Caribbean and getting shipwrecked along the coast of Belize.

Tom graduated from St. Anselm’s Abbey school in Washington, DC and matriculated with a full NROTC scholarship to Boston University from which he graduated magna cum laude with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science.

Tom then served five years in the US Navy, starting with the elite nuclear power school, and then as a division officer with stints on the USS Long Beach and participation in Operation Desert Storm.

Following the Navy, Tom worked as a stockbroker before attending the University of Virginia School of Law. He had a successful career as a tax attorney, working at several distinguished Washington law firms before becoming Executive Director at Ernst and Young. Tom later moved to public service with a position at the IRS. He also used his passion for mathematics and helping others as a committed math teacher at Washington, DC schools.

Tom will be remembered for his sharp intellect and wit, a joyous and infectious laughter, and his persistent, unabashed drive to do things his own way. He was an avid cyclist and an enthusiastic tennis player with a formidable net game. Everywhere Tom went, he brought a unique vibrancy with novel perspectives and a great joy in engaging others.

Tom is survived by his beloved son, Benjamin, his brother, Jonathan, one niece, and eight cousins. He is predeceased by his parents, Tom and Jane Coony.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to OpenWise Learning (OWL) which supports youth with STEM education.