- Date Of Birth: November 11, 1941
- Date Of Death: September 27, 2022
- State: New Mexico
Thomas Patterson Reilly, age 80, passed away on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, leaving behind his wife of 27 years, Mary Lou. Tom had one son from an earlier marriage who passed early in childhood.
Tom was born on November 11, 1941 (now Veterans Day). He hailed from New Haven/Milford, CT. Tom enlisted in the US Army as a Private E-1 on February 26, 1965 during the Viet Nam War, rising through the ranks to Staff Sgt. (E-6) and later appointed Chief Warrant Officer on December 4, 1968 as a Military Intelligence Specialist Investigator. (1968 was the year of the Tet Offensive)
Tom received his Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and his Master’s from Tulane University. It was said that he had an IQ of over 150.
During his life, Tom provided exceptional leadership to the Sacramento Mountain Community as James Canyon Fire Chief, VFW Commander and Loyal Order of Moose Governor. He was involved with several successful business endeavors and was once nominated for Cloudcroft Citizen of the Year through the Cloudcroft Chamber of Commerce. Tom was active in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church and served in many leadership roles.
Aside from his public service, Tom had many interests. He loved dogs, and although he did not have any at the time of his passing, he rescued many and brought them into his family. Being brought up on the east coast, Tom loved being on the ocean. He worked the docks as a teenager. He spent many summers on the west coast boating around Puget Sound as well as the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands with Mary Lou’s sister and her husband, niece, and Bob Handy on their boat, Blissful Seas, and on cruises to Alaska.
Tom had a passion for fine foods and was a gourmet chef. He entered many chili competitions where he strived to create the perfect chili. No beans ever made it into his chili pot.
Tom was somewhat of a local historian. He routinely provided tourists, and locals, with interesting facts about the past of Cloudcroft and El Paso.
He was the quintessential mentor and local Icon to all of us up here on the mountain and he will be sorely missed.
