Thomas George Fosmire

FLORENCE | Mr. Thomas George Fosmire, 77, husband of Janet Ferguson Fosmire, of Florence, died Sunday, November 4, 2007 in McLeod Hospice House.

He was born August 31, 1930, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the late Walter Garrett and Blanche Matthieu Fosmire; he was also predeceased by a sister, Shirley Tallar, all of Milwaukee.

Mr. Fosmire attened schools in Wisconsin. He was a former paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. He served in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Korean War medal. He was then recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency, an agency he served faithfully for more than 50 years. He was stationed in areas all over the world, but his particular area of expertise was in Asia, serving multiple tours in Indonesia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The CIA twice awarded him their second highest decoration, the Intelligence Medal of Merit. The Agency also awarded him two Intelligence Certificates of Distinction; two Certificates of Merit; and the Balkans Service Medallion. Mr. Fosmire was personally decorated with the Order of the Million Elephants by King Savang Wattana of Laos; and the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand, by Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn.

During a brief break in U.S. Government service in the late 1970's, Mr. Fosmire was a co-owner and operator of Air Carolina. He was a member of the Florence Lions Club at that same time.

Surviving in addition to his wife of 46 years, are sons, Mark Emerson Fosmire of Myrtle Beach and Eric (Donna) Fosmire of Columbia; grandchildren, Alex Schaefer and Regan Ferguson Fosmire of Columbia; brother, Charles Fosmire of Plymouth, Mich.; sisters, Phyllis Cerniglia of Largo, Fla. and Mary Craine of Milwaukee; and many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 7, 2007. The committal will follow at 2 p.m. at Florence Memorial Gardens Mausoleum. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at Cain Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to St. Ann's Church, 113 S. Kemp Street, Florence, SC 29506 or to the McLeod Hospice House, 1203 E. Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29506.

An online guest register is available on the obituaries page at www.cainfuneralhome.com and at MyrtleBeachOnline.com.