Thomas John Reeves

On Sunday morning July 30, 2023, Thomas John Reeves, age 83 passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at his home in Stewartstown PA. 

Tom was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 27, 1940, the only child of Thomas Edward and Catherine Helen (Croce) Reeves.  

Tom always had an insatiable curiosity for how things worked.  Even as a child he could be found in his parent’s basement disassembling and reassembling mechanical objects. He graduated from Calvert Hall High School in 1958 and soon was employed as a draftsman at the aviation pioneering Glenn L. Martin company in Baltimore.  Tom’s mother and father had also worked at Glenn L. Martin company building important military aircraft for the defense of the US and allies during WWII.  Tom continued his education and received a B.S. in Engineering-Physics and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Loyola College.  This paved the way for an exciting career across various industries.  He was a key contributor in the development of technologies used in medical, aerospace and defense. He was particularly proud of work he did with NASA, the Johns Hopkins Physics and Astronomy Department as well as military contractor BAE Systems, who produced lifesaving equipment for US soldiers stationed in Iraq. 

One of Tom's personal passions included crafting stained glass lamps. His inspiration for working in stained glass came from the American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany who he emulated. He also maintained a small library of the history of stained glass. If not making lamps, Tom could be found working in his home machine shop in front of a milling machine or lathe crafting prototypes or one-off custom metal parts. He also spent many hours in his electronics workshop experimenting and tinkering with his own personal projects. 

Most of all, Tom enjoyed spending time with his family and his Golden Retrievers.  He had 56 wonderful years of marriage to his wife Patricia. They enjoyed peaceful days at their secluded home in Stewartstown, PA as well as frequenting local markets and craft fairs in Lancaster county. He had three children he loved very much.  He liked teaming up with his oldest son Kevin on any projects that needed to be done. Between the two of them they could fix anything.  He enjoyed traveling to New York to visit his son Jeff and explore NYC restaurants and street food vendors. He also loved seeing his daughter Kelly in Phoenix to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin home and ride the Verde Canyon Railroad always ending the trip in beautiful Sedona, Arizona, one of his favorite places.  Tom also had a special bond with his Golden Retrievers over the years.  He truly loved and adored Bentley, Daisy, Ben, Lucy and Taffy. 

We would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff of Johns Hopkins hospital who have provided world class treatment and support for Tom over the last six years.  The level of commitment and compassion they provided was a true blessing to our family.  We know that Tom’s quality of life was much improved by their support and love.  We would like to especially thank Dr. Noah Hahn who was with us every step of the way. Your knowledge, care and compassion was a great source of reassurance and solace for Tom as he moved though his many years of care.  

Tom is survived by his beloved wife, Patricia (Thomas) Reeves. He was the loving father of three children and a grandson: Kevin R. Reeves and wife Gina of Windsor PA, Jeffrey T. Reeves of Brooklyn, NY, Kelly C. Reeves of Dana Point, CA. and grandson Kevin T. Reeves.

A viewing for Thomas will take place on Friday, August 4, 2023 from 10 to 11am at Wagner-Elfner and Burg Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc., 134 W. Broadway, Red Lion, PA. A funeral service will begin at 11am with Rev. Joshua A. Wargo, Pastor of Chapel Church in Red Lion, officiating. Burial will follow at Round Hill Church Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Please make checks payable to Johns Hopkins University with a memo indicating that this gift is: “IMO of Tom Reeves for Dr. Noah Hahn’s Research” Mail to: Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, 750 East Pratt Street, Suite 1700, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Gifts can also be made online: https://secure.jhu.edu/form/kimmel – select “other” as the designation and note Dr. Noah Hahn in the description.

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