Thomas Robert LaHann

Thomas Robert LaHann was born on October 26, 1948 in Dubuque, Iowa to Marilynn and Robert LaHann of Platteville, Wisconsin. Tom grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and excelled in school and sports. After high school, Tom attended Beloit College on a swim scholarship and graduated with a degree in biochemistry. Following his undergrad, Tom went to the University of Washington to pursue his Ph.D. in Pharmacology. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Prescilla (Pascua). Tom and Pres married on August 10, 1974, and on September 29, 1975, Prescilla gave birth to their first son, Matthew. In 1977, Tom accepted his first job as a research scientist with Proctor and Gamble out in Cincinnati, Ohio. While there, Tom worked on capsaicin and was awarded several patents. On January 27, 1979 the family welcomed their second son, Daniel. During this time, the family became very active with the Harrison dojo of Shorin-Ryu karate. Karate was a welcomed stress relief and Tom excelled, achieving brown belt status. In 1984, Tom accepted a faculty position at Washington State University and the family moved to Pullman, Washington. Tom taught Pharmacology and Toxicology and setup his research lab. While in Pullman, Tom and Pres raised the boys, and Tom was busy encouraging them with sports and playing catch late into the nights. While there he made many lifetime friends. They loved to get together to play pinochle and he even picked up a new sport, racquetball. It was during this time that Tom figured out he could take the family on vacations that conveniently had research libraries in town. Hardly a vacation passed where making copies of research articles weren’t involved! In 1990, Tom accepted a faculty position at Idaho State University and moved the family to Pocatello, Idaho. Tom taught Pharmacology and Toxicology as well as a critical thinking course for graduate students (which carried over to later in life). He was also heavily involved in his research around Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. While in Pocatello, Tom was an active member of the Courthouse Gym and would take great pride in his ability to outlift many who were half his age. At the gym, he also regularly played basketball with the boys, and ran full court games into his 50s. In 2002, Tom took a sabbatical from ISU and pivoted to the consulting world where he became a government contractor. He and Pres moved to Fairfax, Virginia. There he discovered a mutual passion with Pres for estate sales. Over the years, it became a routine – almost every weekend, Tom and Pres would attend an estate sale or auction. When it was all said and done, they had amassed a museum worth of catalog. The two of them watched their kids grow, cherished time with grandkids and began planning for what they would do in their golden years. Unexpectedly, Tom lost Prescilla on April 8, 2019. Following her passing, Tom turned to a close friend, Diane Sylvester to help him through the loss. Spending time together their relationship grew and became something special. In June, 2020 Tom was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, and while he completed chemotherapy, had complications and passed on February 26, 2021. Tom was a kind, wonderful man with a larger than life personality who had an incredible influence on those he taught, those he laughed with and those he loved. Tom was a practicing Christian who believed in Christ our Lord, and was confirmed Catholic before he passed. Tom is survived by his mother Marilynn of Cottage Grove, MN; his brother Timothy, (Jean) of Hastings, MN; his son Matthew, (Krystal) and grandchildren Kaia and Gabriel of Scottsdale, Arizona; and his son Daniel, (Holly) and grandchildren Elyse and Hannah of Idaho Falls, Idaho. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that donations be made to the Lymphoma Research Foundation in Tom’s memory. The funeral service will be held at St Leo’s in Fairfax, VA on Tuesday, March 16th at 12:30pm Eastern. The service will be live-streamed on YouTube as well: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoGr0W4778Nadt6vmAIhhow