About
Thomas Cahill Obituary
The Catholic Church was central in Tom's life. As a kid, he served as an altar boy and sang in the choir. Later on, he was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and the Cursillo movement. He led by example and provided his family with a solid faith foundation.
Tom served in the Navy for 4 years in various locations, including Kodiak, AK, and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, as well as the aircraft carrier USS Bennington.
In 1960, Tom packed up his 1951 Ford and headed out West and earned his Bachelor's from Utah State and his Master's from University of Utah. Best of all, this is where he met his lovely bride of almost 62 years, Kathleen M. Cahill (Karel), when she just happened to come out from Idaho to visit her sister.
Tom and Kathy married in Buhl, ID on August 24th, 1963. Their life journey brought them 6 children and took them from Buhl, to Ukiah, CA, and then onto Lewiston where they resided for 51 years. There, they were deeply involved in the Catholic Community. Tom spent 20 years as the Director of the Career Center at Lewis-Clark State College and also served in area school districts and helped develop community programs to empower those with developmental disabilities.
Tom loved fishing and sharing it with his family and friends. He was a gardener and an avid outdoorsman.
Thomas is survived by his loving wife, Kathleen, his children; Mary, Jim (wife: Stacey), Tom (wife: Sara), Mike (wife: Georgette), Colleen, and Christine (husband: Marcus) Pagulayan; nine grandchildren: Courtney (husband: Nick), Mike (wife: Bayley), Sam, Charlie, John, Kendra, Brooklyn, Scarlett, and Celia.
A Celebration of Life has been planned to take place at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Boise, ID on Friday, August 22, 2025. There will be a rosary at 10:00 AM and mass at 11:00 AM with a luncheon immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Monastery of St. Gertrude's in honor of Thomas C. Cahill.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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