Death of a Classmate - Thomas A. Quirk - 11th Co.

Thomas A. Quirk, Jr., 86, of Ashburn, Virginia, died on January 4, 2018. Tom was born September 21, 1931, in Lynn, Massachusetts. He was the son of Thomas A. Quirk and Mary Louise Quirk.

Tom resided in the Boston area until his family moved to Newport, Rhode Island. He attended De La Salle Academy in Newport and had many fond memories of his childhood. Tom received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in electrical and mechanical engineering. He proudly served his country on several ships in the Atlantic Fleet and as an instructor at Guantanamo Bay. After retiring from active duty, he earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1962. After graduation, he worked for Westinghouse in Pittsburgh. In 1965, Tom joined the International Programs Division at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (now NRECA International). Tom was proud of his work in bringing electricity to developing nations in Southeast Asia. He took particular pride in the success of NRECA's efforts in Bangladesh. He retired from NRECA in 1995.

Tom met his wife, the former Mary Ellen O'Toole, while working in Pittsburgh. He and Mary Ellen resided in Vienna, Virginia, for over 35 years and moved to Heritage Hunt in Gainesville in 2007. After Mary Ellen's death, he resided at Ashby Ponds in Ashburn, VA. He was a quiet man who had a deep sense of commitment and integrity, and he was devoted to his faith, his family and his country. Tom was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Mary Ellen, and by his sister, Eleanor Louise Quirk. He is survived by his son Thomas and his wife Megan of Charlotte, NC, and their children Thomas, Andrew, Caroline and Katherine, and by his son Brian and his wife Michelle of Ashburn, VA, and their daughters Mackenzie and Sasha

A funeral mass will be offered on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 8213 Linton Hall Road, Gainesville, VA. The family will receive friends at Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg, 201 Edwards Ferry Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176, from 6 until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. Interment at Stonewall Memory Gardens following the mass. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850, or to Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg
201 Edwards Ferry Road NE
Leesburg, VA 20176
(703) 777-1414