Surrounded by family and friends and after a weekend filled with stories and laughter, Tom Ford passed peacefully at home on August 10. No more subs on the porch, mowing the lawn, “perfectly good words” or “damn iPhone”; he’s left us to be with Margie. He is survived by his four children, Nelson, Wini, Susan and Alan, 8 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Thomas A. Ford was born in 1917 in Washington DC. He lived in Chevy Chase, MD with his parents, Thomas B. and Neva (Nelson) Ford and two older sisters until his father died during the flu epidemic in 1918. The family then moved to Laramie, Wyoming where his grandfather was the President of the University. He earned a BS in Chemistry from the University of Wyoming in 1937 and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Yale University in 1940.
He described himself as a simple man: “one job, one wife and one house”. He went to work for DuPont as a research chemist in 1940 (he invented Tedlar) and worked at the Experimental Station for the next 42 years. He met Margaret McCain in Philadelphia in 1942; they were married in 1944 and shared 62 wonderful years together. He built a house in Hockessin in 1949 and lived there until his death.
Beneath the quiet exterior, Tom was a man of great curiosity, deep accomplishment and a lover of nature, music and travel. He was kind and had a wonderful wit, with puns and poems for every occasion. He was a trustee of his church and a founding member of the Skating Club of Wilmington. He was an original Rhythm Doctor, a swing band he started in 1942 and played lead alto saxophone until 2018. After retiring from duPont, he and Margie traveled the world, often for skating events, eclipses, urban archeology or counting giant clams. He was devoted to his family, loved being in Avalon, cheered for the Phillies and was rooted on Horseshoe Hill. Tom enjoyed almost 103 WNDRFL years.
Services will be postponed to a later date due to the current Covid-19 restrictions.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Aven Nelson Fellowship in Systematic Botany at the University of Wyoming Foundation, the Memorial Garden of Westminster Presbyterian Church at 1502 W 13th St, Wilmington, DE 19806, or the charity of your choice.
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