Thomas Soles

HARWICH PORT — Thomas Soles, 85, died peacefully on Oct. 15 in Harwich Port.

Born on Dec.14, 1922 in Woburn, he was the youngest of Leland and Lilelena (Mulkeen) Soles' four children and the loving husband of Ruth (McGovern) Soles.

A 22-year resident of Cape Cod, Tom retired to the Cape after a long career in aviation.

Growing up in Woburn, Tom attended Boston College High School and then went onto Boston College, where be received his Bachelor of Science degree in sociology. During World War II, he served as a second lieutenant Marine pilot, flying bombing missions in the South Pacific.

After the war, Tom returned to his family in Woburn and re-established a relationship with Ruth McGovern. Tom and Ruth had been acquaintances as children and their families had always known each other. They were married on July 4, 1950. They honeymooned on Nantucket and then settled in Woburn.

Over the years, Tom and Ruth's family grew to seven, including one daughter, Kathy, and sons, Tom, Mike, Kevin and Andy.

Having decided to make a career in aviation, Tom began working as an air traffic controller at the Air Traffic Center in East Boston. He soon moved onto the Airways Modernization Board, the precursor to the Federal Aviation Agency, and was transferred as part of the design team to Washington, D.C., where he worked on Collision Avoidance and Conflict Alert Systems.

After 38 years with the government, Tom retired and consulted in private industry with Lockheed-Sanders of Nashua, N.H., traveling to Canada, Iceland, South Korea and Germany.

An avid tennis player, Tom formed lasting friendships both on and off the court. He shared his wry humor and love of the Cape with his children and eight surviving grandchildren, including Valerie Soles, Nick Soles, Brendan Soles, Ben Soles, Margaret Soles, Sam Lawfer, Leah Soles and Anna Soles.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m., at Holy Trinity Church in Harwich. Visiting hours will be held at the Doane, Beale & Ames Funeral Home in Harwich, on Friday, Oct. 17, between 6 and 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Family Pantry of Cape Cod, 133 Queen Anne Road, Harwich, MA 02645, or to the Sr. Janet Eisner Scholarship Fund of Emmanuel College 400 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115.

Doane, Beal & Ames

508-432-0593