Thomas William Eales' Obituary
THOMAS WILLIAM EALES, 81, of Leesburg, Virginia, passed on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, in Leesburg, Virginia, surrounded by his family.
Born February 10, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of Thomas W. Eales and Agnes Cunningham Eales.
Tom was predeceased by his parents as well as his brother Raymond Eales and his sister Patricia Eales.
He leaves to cherish his memory, his devoted and beloved wife of 58 years Margaret (“Marge”) M. Eales, sons Thomas W. Eales (Elizabeth) and Kenneth P. Eales, and daughters Margaret (“Peggy”) M. Groscup (Charles William) and Christine A. Hoyle (Michael). He also leaves 8 phenomenal grandchildren who he adored and who adored him: Thomas Eales, Erin Eales, Charles Groscup, Jack Groscup, Michael Hoyle, Matthew Groscup, Molly Hoyle and Kelly Hoyle.
He attended St. Theresa of Avila Parish and School and then was awarded a scholarship to attend high school at Power Memorial in Manhattan. The son of hardworking parents, he learned a strong work ethic at a very young age and quickly turned his thriving newspaper route into a delivery service for neighbors and residents of his Park Slope neighborhood. One of his favorite stories to tell his kids and grandkids was how he often delivered food and newspapers to the Brooklyn Dodgers, including Jackie Robinson. When he was not working his delivery business, Tom spent all of his spare time playing basketball at the neighborhood court. He always said that this set him on a course to become a strong manager, leader and negotiator because he had to learn to decide whether to pick his friends to be on his team, or the best players.
Tom was a cadet at Virginia Polytechnic University when his father suddenly passed away, so he moved home to help care for his mother. He then worked full-time and attended St. John’s University where he graduated with a B.S. in Accounting and Finance.
He met his beloved wife Marge when they were kids attending the same church and school. He also played basketball with her 3 older brothers. They were both wonderful dancers and when they attended church dances with other people, they would eventually wind up dancing with one another. They married on January 11, 1964 and welcomed four children by 1970. They settled in Stony Brook, New York and Tom worked in Contracts for Dynell Corporation. He later attended St. John’s University School of Law and earned his J.D. as a night student, where he finished first in his class while working full time with 4 young kids at home. He always credited Marge with taking care of everything at home and said he could never have done it without her devotion to their family.
His career took the family to New Jersey and later Michigan where he became Vice President of Contracts at American Motors General at the age of 38. He oversaw the Hummer Program and was very proud to be instrumental in the name that later became a military and commercial success. The family later moved to Virginia where Tom worked for several companies, ultimately Boeing, from where he retired in 2006.
Tom and Marge purchased their beloved lake house at Lake of the Woods in Virginia as a second home. Because they never wanted to leave the lake, they ultimately moved there permanently. Tom commuted to Northern Virginia for work for many years and always said it was worth it to come home to the beautiful lake. Their grandchildren have many fond memories of celebrating holidays and birthdays for many years at the lake. It was one of Tom’s biggest sources of pride to provide a wonderful place for the family to gather, especially on July 4th. After 31 years at Lake of the Woods, in 2019 Tom and Marge moved to Lansdowne Woods in Leesburg, Virginia to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
Tom was a devoted Catholic and a 3rd Degree Knight. He loved reading, doing crossword puzzles and watching old movies on TCM. What he cherished most in life was his family and he never passed up a chance to gather with them as often as possible. He passes on to his children and grandchildren his legacy of memorizing and quoting lines from Saturday Night Live and countless movies, as well as his love of music and the beach. He was completely and utterly devoted to his wife Marge. She awaits the day that they will be reunited in God’s Kingdom, where Tom will surely be waiting with open arms.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, September 15, 2022, from 5-7 PM at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg, VA. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, September 16, 2022, at 1 PM at St. John The Apostle Catholic Church, 101 Oakcrest Manor Drive NE, Leesburg, VA. Committal Service to immediately follow at the church cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to Catholic Charities USA https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/
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