COL Thomas Terrence Cavanagh III

Thomas T. Cavanagh III, age 74, of Boiling Spring Lakes, NC, passed away at his home on Sunday, March 17, 2019.

Tom was born October 25, 1944 in Newark, NJ to the late Thomas Cavanagh II and Josephine Prill. He is survived by his wife, Diane Borawski, of 52 years; daughter, Kimberly Harp and husband, Dennis, of Belville, NC; a son, Thomas T. Cavanagh IV of Spartanburg, SC; grandchildren, Matthew and Samantha Harp; a sister, Patricia Sjogren and husband, Eric, of Glen Gardner, NJ; a brother, Brian and wife Janice, of Providence, NJ; a nephew, Conor Sjogren, and nieces, Kristie Cavanagh Kotch and Jena Cavanagh.

Tom graduated from Rutgers University, NJ, and entered the Air Force from Rutgers AFROTC in 1966. He earned Master’s degrees from the University of Alaska and Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Col. Cavanagh was a command navigator on EC 47’s in Viet Nam and C-133 for the AF Military Airlift Command in Dover, Delaware. He was a Command Pilot in F-4 Phantom’s in Anchorage, Alaska and an instructor pilot at Luke AFB in Arizona. After a tour as a NATO Staff Officer in Belgium, he was an A-10 Operations Officer and Base Commander at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge, United Kingdom. Tom completed his career as the Base Commander at Nellis AFB, Nevada and AFROTC Commander at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. After retiring from the Air Force in 1992, he moved to Boiling Spring Lakes, NC where he worked as the business manager for the Smithville Company until late 2012. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Southport, NC and was an active member for the past 25 years in the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 10-05 in Southport, NC.

A funeral mass will be held on Friday, March 22, 2019 at 12 o’clock in the afternoon at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Southport, NC.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Cape Fear Coastal Boy Scouts, Troop 747, 117C Village Rd. Leland, NC 28451.

Online condolences may be made at www.peacocknewnamwhite.com.

Peacock - Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service, 1411 N. Howe St. Southport, NC 28461.