Thomas Aquinas Gaffney left his body on March 3, 2024. Born to Alice Meany and Arthur Thomas Gaffney on May 10, 1945, Thomas lived his last years in Upper Nyack, NY with his loving wife of 24 years Patricia Hundley Gaffney (Martinsville, VA). He is survived by his wife, five siblings, three sons, three daughters-in-law, one stepson, and five grandchildren.

Tom was generous, witty, calm, wise, and charming. He had no known enemies and left behind a vast array of stone walls, decks, sheds, hotel renovations, and home improvements that demonstrated his organizational and engineering talents. Tom loved to play cribbage and backgammon, watch 2010s FC Barcelona tiki-taka, work on puzzles, enjoy summer meals on the patio, and spend time with his family.

Born in Rhode Island and raised in Douglaston, NY, Tom was a graduate of Xavier High School in NYC (‘63) and Clarkson University (‘68), and began his career as a science teacher at Arlington (VT) High School. He married Carol Renaud in 1969 and began a series of work-related moves that brought him and his family to Rochester, NY, Mystic, CT, and Arlington, TX. Tom lived in Texas from 1979 until moving to Atlanta in 2007 with his wife Patricia (married 2001).

Following in his father’s footsteps, Tom worked for most of his life in the hotel and construction industries. He was appreciated for his even tempered, non-judgmental handling of difficult situations to such a degree that even those people that he fired felt good about him afterwards. He finished his storied career as Chief Operations Officer with the Atlanta-based John Hardy Group, and his vast knowledge of business, contracts, project management and processes will be sorely missed. Lamentably, he did not have the long years of retirement that he and Pat had planned as a wicked recurrence of uveal melanoma foreshortened his life.

After returning to New York in 2016, Tom soon retired and put his focus on personal relationships. He was a consummately loving husband to Patricia. He was a role model for his brothers, a confidant for his sisters, a source of wisdom for his sons, and a fountain of love and warmth for his grandchildren. To his friends, he was quick with a laugh and enjoyed combing through the past without being overly nostalgic. He volunteered on the Upper Nyack Architectural Review Board, later joining a community prayer group at Marydell Faith and Life Center. A rarity for his generation, Tom became more open minded and curious as he continued to learn about the world to his last days. The images of the Webb Space Telescope were particularly inspiring to him as he considered his mortality and the nature of the Universe. As he told his story to friends and family over the last year, it was clear that he considered himself blessed with good fortune to have been born when he was, where he was, and to have made good choices when they mattered the most. He left with no regrets, with his accounts settled, a life well-lived, surrounded by loved ones at home.

Tom’s life will be celebrated on Saturday June 29, 2024 in conjunction with an event marking 100 years since the death of his grandfather, Thomas Gaffney. A memorial service will be held at 9:30am at St. Saviour Church, 611 8th Avenue in Brooklyn. Donations in Tom’s name can be sent to the Marydell Faith and Life Center via their website (https://marydell.org/contribute/) or by mail to 640 North Midland Avenue Upper Nyack, NY 10960.