Thomas E. Kirchgessner, 92, of Huntsville, passed away October 21, 2024.
Tom was a career Air Force officer and mechanical engineering instructor at the Air Force Academy for 10 years. He retired in 1976. He was the Director of Eastern Systems and Safety Management for the University of Southern California. He worked on SDI for Teledyne Brown in Fairfax, VA, and came to work in Huntsville for TRW. He retired in 1999 from Alltel Information Systems in Florida and returned to Huntsville to enjoy life “hitting balls” and dedicating his life to serving Jesus.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Dolores Kirchgessner. Survivors include his daughter, Lisa Shonerd (Peter) of Manassas, VA; sons, Bruce Kirchgessner (Maxine) of Surprise, AZ, and Patrick Kirchgessner (Tracey) of Sarasota, FL; granddaughter, Stephanie Kirchgessner of Fort Collins, CO; brother, John Kirchgessner of Granville, MI; and sister, Ginnie Caldwell of Bozeman, MT.
Tom loved golf, tennis, and fly fishing. He flew C130s in Vietnam and absolutely loved flying. He was a devoted, loving husband, had a brilliant mind, and was loved by many. Tom was generous to the needs of the less fortunate, volunteering at the local soup kitchen.
Visitation will be from 12 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, with the service immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Society (https://svdphuntsvilleal.org/).
