Thomas John Griffin Gambrills, Maryland Obituary

Thomas John Griffin

Thomas “Tom” John Griffin, 65, of Crofton, Md., entered eternal rest March 3, 2021 at his home due to a sudden cardiac event. Tom was born to Jeanne Marie Harmon and John Dennis Griffin in Midland, Mich. on October 15, 1955. He attended University of Michigan College of Engineering, receiving both Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Atmospheric Sciences. Applying his passions, as well as his impressive technical and managerial skills, Tom spent the majority of his career at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. One measure of a man is surely the positive impact he has had on the world. In that respect, Tom was a giant. To know Tom was to know someone out there truly “got” you; that you had someone in your corner. And not only did you have someone in your corner, but someone who was all-in. In fact, Tom went all-in on everything he set out to do. An avid adventure seeker, Tom went to the corners of the world in pursuit of his hobbies. Whether it was skiing the Alps, racing (and winning!) the Caribbean 1500, flying a plane over the Great Lakes, or hang gliding above Grandfather Mountain, adventure was out there and Tom made it his mission in life to find it. From European foods to American cars and an impeccable taste in bourbon, he also enjoyed the finer things in life. Tom will be remembered for his sense of adventure, appreciation of travel, and above all else, his unwavering love for his family. Everything he did in life could be pointed directly back to those he loved, living life with them to the fullest. To Tom, his children were his everything. Among his greatest adventures were those he had with them. There were ski trips, Disney trips (always around a space shuttle launch), and so much traveling for their various soccer, baseball, horseback riding, and ATV competitions. Tom could always be seen on the sidelines cheering them on. Leisure with his children also took on great adventures such as exploring the towns and islands of the Chesapeake Bay by boat or cruising the back roads of northern Michigan in search of the perfect peaches to make homemade jam. His kids also became his frequent European travel companions, tagging along on business trips anytime it didn’t interfere with school too much. An avid believer in keeping maps in his glove compartment, Tom was also always ready to take the road less traveled (sometimes not even paved) while blasting classic rock on the radio. Final destinations were always worth it, always landing Tom and his family at hidden gems such as family-owned restaurants where nobody spoke English in Ferrara, Italy or day hikes to secret lakes in the Colorado Rockies. In more recent years, Tom’s pride hit new heights when he took on the role of grandpa. Coined “Papa” despite his very best efforts to be “Grandpa,” to be Tom’s grandchild was to be the luckiest kid on the planet. As Papa, Tom could always be counted on to rock a crying baby to sleep, share his grapefruit at the table, and have a pile of Sunday comics to read through together. Tom was also a proud “Hubble Hugger,” working in many engineering and management positions on NASA’s amazing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Project for five servicing missions. He was responsible for the successful development and testing of sensitive gyroscopes and flexible and rigid solar arrays as the HST Observatory Manager. During the preparations for the first servicing mission in 1993, he paved the way for a very successful working relationship between the HST and the European Space Agency (ESA) teams. He made very meaningful contributions to design improvements. These were successfully installed by astronauts to greatly improve the operation of the telescope. Tom was also the Manager for the HST Carriers that were critical for safely carrying HST flight hardware and scientific instruments to and from space for five Hubble servicing missions. He was the senior HST representative at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida for the integration of hardware into the Space Shuttle for the missions. He led cooperative efforts with ESA, Johnson Space Center in Texas, and KSC. Tom was also Deputy Program Manager for the Physics of the Cosmos Program where he was instrumental in getting the Astrophysics program office started at Goddard. Most recently, on the Roman Space Telescope (RST) Project, Tom served as Observatory Manager during the crucial years of development leading up to the Mission Preliminary Design Review. Then he was promoted to Deputy Project Manager, where he continued to play a significant role in the mission, helping advance the telescope design through confirmation. Tom was the project interface to ESA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, responsible for key international contributions to NASA. Above all else, Tom was a valued and respected member of his team, always making himself available for mentoring and guidance; providing the knowledge and wisdom gained from his decades of spaceflight experience. Tom was an ardent supporter of outreach activities and STEM. He relished volunteering his time whenever he could in ventures like the Conrad Challenge. Beyond Tom’s outstanding technical efforts and leadership at NASA, he was special to so many as a great friend. He is deeply missed and loved by his surviving family: children Christina (Alexander) Byland of Williamsburg, Mich., Stephen (Anna) Griffin of Lothian, Md., Sara (Mitchell) Hardy of Riverview, Fla; grandchildren Maxwell, Cole, Blair, Parker, and Vincent; siblings (Rev.) Joseph Griffin, Peter (Sharon) Griffin, Maribeth (Matthew) Galligan; the mother of his children and former spouse Elizabeth Ann Black; sister-in-law Jennifer Griffin; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Tom was predeceased by his parents John Dennis “Denny” Griffin and Jeanne Marie Broddle; stepfather Colin H. Broddle; grandparents Harry H. and Arvilla Hutten Harmon and Stephen and Elizabeth Griffin; brother Mark Griffin; uncle and aunt John “Jack” and Helen Harmon; and former mother- and father-in-law Gerald and Betty Hath. Tom’s children are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support shown to them and their young families during this shocking and difficult time. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Crofton on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 11 am. For those unable to attend in person, the funeral will also be live-streamed at Facebook.com/SetonLiveStream. Those wishing to honor Tom’s memory may consider donations to Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Godspeed, Tom.
October 15, 1955 - March 3, 202110/15/195503/03/2021
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Obituary

Thomas “Tom” John Griffin, 65, of Crofton, Md., entered eternal rest March 3, 2021 at his home due to a sudden cardiac event. Tom was born to Jeanne Marie Harmon and John Dennis Griffin in Midland, Mich. on October 15, 1955. He attended University of Michigan College of Engineering, receiving both Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Atmospheric Sciences. Applying his passions, as well as his impressive technical and managerial skills, Tom spent the majority of his career at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. One measure of a man is surely the positive impact he has had on the world. In that respect, Tom was a giant. To know Tom was to know someone out there truly “got” you; that you had someone in your corner. And not only did you have someone in your corner, but someone who was all-in. In fact, Tom went all-in on everything he set out to do. An avid adventure seeker, Tom went to the corners of the world in pursuit of his hobbies. Whether it was skiing the Alps, racing (and winning!) the Caribbean 1500, flying a plane over the Great Lakes, or hang gliding above Grandfather Mountain, adventure was out there and Tom made it his mission in life to find it. From European foods to American cars and an impeccable taste in bourbon, he also enjoyed the finer things in life. Tom will be remembered for his sense of adventure, appreciation of travel, and above all else, his unwavering love for his family. Everything he did in life could be pointed directly back to those he loved, living life with them to the fullest. To Tom, his children were his everything. Among his greatest adventures were those he had with them. There were ski trips, Disney trips (always around a space shuttle launch), and so much traveling for their various soccer, baseball, horseback riding, and ATV competitions. Tom could always be seen on the sidelines cheering them on. Leisure with his children also took on great adventures such as exploring the towns and islands of the Chesapeake Bay by boat or cruising the back roads of northern Michigan in search of the perfect peaches to make homemade jam. His kids also became his frequent European travel companions, tagging along on business trips anytime it didn’t interfere with school too much. An avid believer in keeping maps in his glove compartment, Tom was also always ready to take the road less traveled (sometimes not even paved) while blasting classic rock on the radio. Final destinations were always worth it, always landing Tom and his family at hidden gems such as family-owned restaurants where nobody spoke English in Ferrara, Italy or day hikes to secret lakes in the Colorado Rockies. In more recent years, Tom’s pride hit new heights when he took on the role of grandpa. Coined “Papa” despite his very best efforts to be “Grandpa,” to be Tom’s grandchild was to be the luckiest kid on the planet. As Papa, Tom could always be counted on to rock a crying baby to sleep, share his grapefruit at the table, and have a pile of Sunday comics to read through together. Tom was also a proud “Hubble Hugger,” working in many engineering and management positions on NASA’s amazing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Project for five servicing missions. He was responsible for the successful development and testing of sensitive gyroscopes and flexible and rigid solar arrays as the HST Observatory Manager. During the preparations for the first servicing mission in 1993, he paved the way for a very successful working relationship between the HST and the European Space Agency (ESA) teams. He made very meaningful contributions to design improvements. These were successfully installed by astronauts to greatly improve the operation of the telescope. Tom was also the Manager for the HST Carriers that were critical for safely carrying HST flight hardware and scientific instruments to and from space for five Hubble servicing missions. He was the senior HST representative at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida for the integration of hardware into the Space Shuttle for the missions. He led cooperative efforts with ESA, Johnson Space Center in Texas, and KSC. Tom was also Deputy Program Manager for the Physics of the Cosmos Program where he was instrumental in getting the Astrophysics program office started at Goddard. Most recently, on the Roman Space Telescope (RST) Project, Tom served as Observatory Manager during the crucial years of development leading up to the Mission Preliminary Design Review. Then he was promoted to Deputy Project Manager, where he continued to play a significant role in the mission, helping advance the telescope design through confirmation. Tom was the project interface to ESA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, responsible for key international contributions to NASA. Above all else, Tom was a valued and respected member of his team, always making himself available for mentoring and guidance; providing the knowledge and wisdom gained from his decades of spaceflight experience. Tom was an ardent supporter of outreach activities and STEM. He relished volunteering his time whenever he could in ventures like the Conrad Challenge. Beyond Tom’s outstanding technical efforts and leadership at NASA, he was special to so many as a great friend. He is deeply missed and loved by his surviving family: children Christina (Alexander) Byland of Williamsburg, Mich., Stephen (Anna) Griffin of Lothian, Md., Sara (Mitchell) Hardy of Riverview, Fla; grandchildren Maxwell, Cole, Blair, Parker, and Vincent; siblings (Rev.) Joseph Griffin, Peter (Sharon) Griffin, Maribeth (Matthew) Galligan; the mother of his children and former spouse Elizabeth Ann Black; sister-in-law Jennifer Griffin; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Tom was predeceased by his parents John Dennis “Denny” Griffin and Jeanne Marie Broddle; stepfather Colin H. Broddle; grandparents Harry H. and Arvilla Hutten Harmon and Stephen and Elizabeth Griffin; brother Mark Griffin; uncle and aunt John “Jack” and Helen Harmon; and former mother- and father-in-law Gerald and Betty Hath. Tom’s children are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support shown to them and their young families during this shocking and difficult time. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Crofton on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 11 am. For those unable to attend in person, the funeral will also be live-streamed at Facebook.com/SetonLiveStream. Those wishing to honor Tom’s memory may consider donations to Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Godspeed, Tom.

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