Obituary of Thomas-William Quigley

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Thomas William Quigley was born on February 6, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest son of Col. Thomas Quigley USMC and Mary Catherine Keating. Tom grew up in the Marine Corps including two tours stationed in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti and many years at the Quantico Marine Base.He was in his first year of college when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. He completed the year and enlisted in June of 1942 and spent the war serving in the South Pacific. After the war, he taught mathematics and electronics at the Marine School at Quantico. He left active service to return to college but served in the Marine Corps Reserve for 20 years, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer. He was also reactivated and served in the Korean Conflict.Tom married Mary Louise Rochford on June 3rd, 1950 at St. Stephens in Washington, D.C. They had been married for 53 years at her death in December of 2003.He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Catholic University and his M.S. in Biochemistry from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He worked at the Heart Institute of NIH, the US Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation before retiring in 1975 after 25 years of federal service. During his years with NSF, he helped establish the first computer databases and networks between universities. He came to Athens in 1975 to work for the UGA Computer Center and later served as Plant Chemist at Kendall and as adjunct faculty in the UGA College of Textile Science. Tom was active at the university doing research projects even after his retirement from Kendall, and he worked several days a week until a fall in 2003 hampered his mobility.Funeral mass will be Monday, July 25, 2005 at 10:00 AM at the University Catholic Center, Athens, Georgia. Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery.He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Mary Louise, and his older sister Hanora Quigley Gibbons. He is survived by four children, Marita Quigley Nazarian and son-in-law, Dr. Sarkis Nazarian of Little Rock, Arkansas, Julia Quigley Stanley and son-in-law, Lewis Anthony Stanley of Dublin, Georgia, Thomas J. Quigley and daughter-in-law, Mary Borgerding Quigley of Franklin, North Carolina and William Quigley of Athens, Georgia. He is also survived by his brother, Col. John E. Quigley, USMC (ret) of Williamsburg, Virginia, grandchildren, Stephan Nazarian, Gregor Nazarian, Laura Stanley, Sarah Stanley, Sean Quigley, and Clara Jean Quigley, sister-in-law, Sister Jane Anne Rochford, brother-in-law, Ambrose Gibbons and numerous nieces and nephews.The family will receive friends Sunday from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at the funeral home.Lord and Stephens, EAST, is in charge of arrangements.