Thomas Francis (Tom) Mailey, a devoted father, grandfather, published author, sometimes golfer and long-time resident of Madison, Alabama, died in Huntsville, Alabama on November 11 at age 86.
He was born in Glassport, Pennsylvania on February 6, 1936 to
Luella Kehoe Mailey and Charles Mailey. He was raised, jointly with his cousin Gloria, by his aunt Wanda (Nun) Kehoe Shaffner and his uncle William (Bill) Shaffner, and aunt Louise Kehoe, after being adopted by Bill and Nun in 1942.
Tom attended McKeesport High School in Pennsylvania, and in 1958 graduated from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, where he started a lifelong friendship with his then- roommate, John “Moose†Bilos, M.D. After a one year detour in medical school, he obtained a Master’s in Pedagogy from Duquesne University in 1965, and a Ph.D. in Communications Technologies from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976, through a prestigious Smithsonian fellowship.
After getting married in 1975, he moved from the Pittsburgh area to St. Louis, where he taught at Loyola University in Chicago, worked as a technical writer at Emerson Electric, and taught writing courses at St. Louis Community College. A lifelong public servant, he worked for the U.S. Army as a civilian for more than thirty years, first in St. Louis and, since 1997, at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.
Since retiring in 2013, he enjoyed pursuing his interests from creative nonfiction writing to playing the piano and golfing. He didn’t miss an opportunity to share Huntsville with family, ensuring everyone toured the Redstone Arsenal and NASA facility, and fostering his grandchildren’s love of science through Space Camp.
Tom’s life was anchored in his Catholic faith, devotion to family, passion for learning, and never ending love for football, especially Notre Dame, Alabama Roll Tide, Pitt Panthers and his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.
A decades long member of the Knights of Columbus and proud orator in Toastmasters, he cherished sharing his love of communication. He was a
sweet and sensitive soul, who was perpetually worried about his kids and grandkids, whether it was about shark attacks while surfing, or the perils of international travel. He was also fiercely proud of his kids’ accomplishments, Mickie’s in the diplomatic corps and Brian’s in medicine. He is survived by his son Brian William Alphonse Mailey, M.D. (and daughter-in-law, Katie
Armstrong Mailey), his daughter Kira (Mickie) Mailey Mitre (and son-in-law, Mario Mitre), six grandchildren (Sabrina and Sebastian Mitre, and Lillian, Grant, Vivian and Charles Mailey); and his longtime companion, E’Claire Cook.
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