On the early morning of January 24, 2026, Thomas Leo Winn passed away peacefully in Huntsville, Alabama.
Everyone knew him as a rocket scientist, but those closest to him knew there was so much more to the man we called husband, Dad, Papa, and Great-Papa. His life, remarkable in both its achievements and its love, began in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was born to James L and Henrietta G. Winn and raised with his sister, Arlene Winn Forgue, and later graduated from high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after his family moved south.
A gifted athlete with a competitive spirit, he played college baseball at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his passion for the sport carried over to his beloved Boston Red Sox. After earning his degree in physics, he headed west to Denver, Colorado, to begin what would become a distinguished career in aerospace.
His single life in the Mile High City, however, was short-lived. Just three months after arriving in Denver, he met the woman who would change everything. What started as a chance meeting quickly became a love story. They were engaged on Valentine’s Day and married seven months later, beginning a 58-year partnership grounded in faith, adventure, and an unshakeable bond.
Together they built a family that became the center of his world. In the first four and a half years of marriage, they welcomed Katie Kerns (Ken), Mike Winn (Paige), Scott Winn, and Stephen Winn (Katie) and ten years later, with the birth of Brady Winn, their family was joyfully complete. He poured his heart into fatherhood and his passion for sports continued – mixed doubles tennis with friends at Camelot and then as the kids grew – coaching and umpiring baseball, timing at swim meets and pacing the sidelines of hundreds of soccer fields, but his heart was always on the golf course – sunset golf on Friday nights, a standing 7:00 am Saturday tee time, and junior golf with his sons.
As years turned into decades, he embraced the roles of grandfather to 10 and great-grandfather to one with the same enthusiasm he brought to every part of his life. His pride in his growing family was unmistakable.
Tom’s greatest legacy was founded on his Catholic faith, selflessly pouring himself into serving others. He had a volunteer’s heart—quiet and steady in its generosity. Over the years, he donated gallons of blood to the American Red Cross, each one a simple but profound act of compassion. He gave his time and his hands to St. Vincent de Paul, offering support and dignity to those experiencing homelessness; he helped pack millions of meals with Feed My Starving Children, helping ensure that strangers across the world knew they were not forgotten. His legacy of giving will ripple forward in every life he touches.
A Catholic funeral mass will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Huntsville, Alabama on Monday, February 2 at 10:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, carrying on Tom’s legacy of giving, donations can be made to The Holy Land Christian Society, The Goodfellow Fund of Detroit, or Feed My Starving Children.
