Thomas Mitchell Crisp Jr.

Thomas Mitchell Crisp, Jr, PhD, passed away on August 10, 2022 in Charlottesville, VA, at the age 0f 82, after a five-year battle with cancer. He lived in Virginia for over 56 years, the last 18 of which were in an idyllic setting in North Garden.

Born September 29, 1939 in San Antonio, Texas, he was the son of Thomas Mitchell Crisp, Sr and Evelyn Martel Crisp. He is survived by his wife of nearly 57 years, Penelope Fenner Crisp, son, David Andrew Crisp of Purcellville, VA, daughter, Catherine Lynn Crisp and wife Franny Oxford of Houston, TX, , grandson, William Andrew Crisp and wife Jenny of Inwood, WVA, granddaughter, Maggie Crisp Oxford of Houston, brother, David Martel Crisp, Sr., of Naples, FL, sister Marjorie Lynn Costner and husband Howard of Houston, a number of nieces and nephews and beloved best friends, Caroline and Dessouky Dessouky of Charlottesville.

Tom attended St. Thomas High School, then the University of St. Thomas in Houston, graduating with a degree in Biology. He earned a Master’s degree in Comparative Endocrinology from Rice University followed by a Ph. D. in Anatomy from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX. It was there he met and married his wife Penny who was a PhD candidate in Pharmacology and the co-owner of a sailboat that Tom thought would offer a fine opportunity for exploring Galveston Bay during those rare breaks from the rigors of conducting their respective dissertation research.

In 1966, Tom joined the faculty of the Georgetown University Schools of Medicine and Dentistry in Washington, DC, where for 24 years he taught histology to first year medical and dental students and conducted a research program on the structure and function of the female reproductive system. He particularly cherished this opportunity to contribute to the education of prospective members of the health care community and to mentor several students as they pursued their doctorates. Two sabbatical leaves over the course of his teaching career afforded extended time to work and travel abroad: in 1974-1975 at the Endocrine Unit of the Women’s Hospital at the University of Birmingham in England and in 1982-1983 in the Biochemistry Department of at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel in Switzerland.,

Retirement from Georgetown University in 1990 was not retirement from contributing to the field of reproductive biology and endocrinology. Tom took his talent and expertise to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where, for the next nine years, he carried out assessments of the potential negative effects that exposure to chemical agents in the environment may have on the human reproductive system.

Tom received a number of awards for his contributions to both Georgetown University and EPA. He received the Vincentian Medal, marking 20 years of service to Georgetown University and one gold and two bronze medals for his work at EPA.

Science was not Tom’s only passion. He was an artist since childhood, creating paintings in both oil and acrylic media, gifting many to friends and family and turning the family home into an art gallery. Many of his works reflected scenes from his and Penny’s national and international travel destinations, including nearly two decades of lounging on the beaches of St. Maarten during Virginia’s chilly January winters.

An early and ardent fan of Julia Child’s PBS cooking series, he worked diligently to duplicate her recipes, sharing his successes with guests at family and neighborhood events hosted at home. He loved to read books of many genres, listen to classical music, do crossword puzzles and watch old-time 1940’s and ‘50’s black and white movies on the Turner Classic Movie channel.

He was a kind and generous man, who donated to the schools and churches he attended, social and medical service organizations and other principled not-for-profit groups.

Funeral Arrangements:

Visitation is scheduled for 6:00 -8:00 pm on Wednesday, August 17 at Teague Funeral Services, 2260 Ivy Rd, Charlottesville, VA. A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 11:00 am Thursday, August 18, at Saint Thomas Aquinas University Parish, 401 Alderman Road, Charlottesville, VA

A private inurnment ceremony will be held at a later date at St. Vincent Ferrer Columbarium, St. Thomas Priory.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be made to St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, St. Thomas High School or the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX, the Carter Center, Christ House in Washington DC or Food for the Poor.