Thomas Joseph Thorpe

Thomas Joseph Thorpe passed away on June 30, 2020 in Dallas, TX at the age of 93. Tom was born on Nov. 6, 1926 in Kansas City, MO to Anna Lyndon Thorpe (birthplace Tarbert, Ireland) and James Bernard Thorpe. His youth was spent in Kansas City, MO where he graduated from St. James, Lillis High and Rockhurst College on the GI Bill. Raised during the Great Depression, he found joy working on the family-owned driving range with siblings James, John and Mary Josephine. Drafted into the U.S. Army at 18, Tom served his country from 1944 to 1946 in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater where he earned a Bronze Battle Star, Combat Infantry Badge, Good Conduct Medal and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a Bronze Battle Star.

In the fall of 1953, Tom went to a Notre Dame football game and had a hard time fitting his 6’4’’ frame into the small seat. His knees bumped into the seat holding the future love of his life, Marie Reintjes. They married on Nov. 27, 1954 and shared 65 wonderful years together in Johnson County, KS, Simsbury/Stamford, CT, Hobe Sound, FL, Annapolis/Perryville, MD and Dallas, TX. His early career was in finance with U.S. Steel in Kansas City and New York City and later, in commercial real estate banking as a Vice President with Bank of America, formerly Hartford National Bank in Hartford, CT.

The Catholic faith was the foundation of Tom’s life. He was instrumental in the building of St. Catherine of Siena Church in West Simsbury, CT, a member of the Serra Club, Knights of Columbus and a lector at St. Christopher in Hobe Sound, FL. Every meal in the Thorpe household started with all 8 children saying grace and ended with A Prayer For A Family. Tom loved golf, bridge, a good joke, cross country skiing and bike rides with Marie, steak (plenty of salt and garlic), fresh margaritas, family and friends gatherings, traveling and praying the rosary. His last weekend on this earth was spent on a family ranch in Texas where he took one last dip in the hot tub, ate the perfect steak, soaked up the joy of the family around him and prayed the rosary while looking over the mountains. He said it was time to hang up his golf clubs, went home to his bride for one last night and took a bad fall. Left to mourn the loss of Tom are his wife, 8 children, 22 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Tom is predeceased in death by his parents, Anna Lyndon and James B. Thorpe, his brothers James Bernard, John Patrick and sister Mary Josephine Kloster. He is survived by his wife, Marie Therese Thorpe (nèe Reintjes) and his children Jean Neil (Jim), Christy Corr (Shawn), Thomas L. Thorpe (Cheryl), Peggy Nedder (Michael), Aimee MacFarlane (Duncan), Patricia Conlan (Bill), Michelle Petricca (Perri) and John P. Thorpe (Sharon). His grandchildren Francis J. Neil, III "Trip" (Whitney), Dori Araiza (Jesus), Charlie Neil, Jenny Neil, Michaela Corr, Patrick Corr (Lauren), Riley Corr, Colin Corr, Erin Pence (Nick), Kylie Hibshman (Michael), Caroline Thorpe, Kathleen “Katie” Nedder, Duncan MacFarlane, Dorothy MacFarlane, Sarah Conlan, Lillian Conlan, Nicholas Conlan, Adam Petricca, Graydon “Grady" Thorpe, Leah Petricca, Charlotte Thorpe and Jordan Thomas Thorpe. Great grandchildren Summer, Alexander, Mila, Christian, Theo, Brynn and Elise. He also cherished his many nieces and nephews. Mr. Thorpe is grateful for the many wonderful medical professionals and the caregivers he came to know at Caruth Haven Court.

His life will be celebrated with a funeral mass at St. Rita at a future date and interment at Arlington National Cemetery in 2021. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local chapter of Honor Flight. It was a pivotal experience for Tom that brought peace, dignity and closure to his service. www.honorflight.org