Thomas J. Cahill

Thomas J. Cahill
Thomas J. Cahill, 92, died peacefully at his Greenwich, CT, home on February 7, 2024. His passing at age 92, surrounded by his children, was peaceful and the end he deserved after a lengthy battle with dementia and the loss of his beloved wife of more than 60 years, Susan Cahill, in February 2023.
Known for his sparkly baby blue eyes, shock of white hair, kindness and good humor, Tom was the son of Irish immigrants. He was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a graduate of Iona College and Georgetown University Law School thanks to the G.I. Bill.
He had a distinguished legal career in New York City, beginning as the first law clerk for federal Judge, Lloyd F. MacMahon. He was a two-time veteran of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York – first as an Assistant U.S. Attorney under Robert Morgenthau in the early 1960s, returning in the early 1970s under Paul J. Curran, and culminating in his appointment as Acting U.S. Attorney from 1975-76.
After over 20 years in private practice, in 1998, Tom returned to public service as Chief Counsel to the First Judicial Department Disciplinary Committee – effectively, the top ethics enforcer for lawyers practicing in New York City. His experience, judgment and integrity made him the perfect person for the job.
Upon his retirement in 2007, Tom didn't put his feet up. Instead, he fulfilled a lifelong dream to walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago across the north of Spain. Tom's cheerful demeanor and sense of adventure charmed his fellow pilgrims along the trail, just as he had charmed so many others throughout his life.
Tom remained an avid walker and was a widely recognizable figure around Greenwich, with his determined step and poorly concealed cigar no matter the season.
Active with the Retired Men's Association of Greenwich, he was a founding volunteer at the Greenwich Recycling Center "library" and distributed discarded books to less fortunate communities. He was a regular attendee at both St. Michael's and St. Mary's for decades, and active with the Milbrook Club and Irish cultural groups such as the Wild Geese.
Above all, Tom was proudest of the family and the warm home he fostered with Susan. Their six children (Lisa, Christina, John, Tom Jr., Susannah and Petra), spouses and eight grandchildren (Lucie, Emmett, Tess, Clara, Eamon, June, Poppy and Tom) were his greatest joy. He was a proud Greenwich Public School parent, and later grandparent, with two generations of his offspring attending Julian Curtiss Elementary, Central, and GHS, as well as the Convent of the Sacred Heart.
They will celebrate his life with a memorial service at St. Mary's Church, in Greenwich, at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 23.
Anyone who would like to remember Tom might consider the Lloyd MacMahon Fellowship Fund (checks payable to Community Funds, Inc., P.O. Box 22472, NYC 10087-2472 (memo should have the Fellowship name) (212-686-0010, ext. 469)), or RVNAhealth Hospice ( rvnahealth.org ), whose staff provided beautiful and tender care to him and Susan.