Thomas John Leshko

Thomas "Tom" John Leshko, 87, a retired Navy captain and aviator died Jan. 29 in Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax, Va., after a short battle with cancer.

Capt. Leshko was on active duty from 1958 to 1985. He served in three aviation squadrons: VW-13, VP-41 and as commanding officer of VP-40. He also served as an instructor at the Naval Aviation Schools Command. His final active-duty assignment was as deputy auditor general of the Navy on the staff of the secretary of the Navy. Included among his service decorations are two awards for the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Medal, awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. After leaving the Navy, Capt. Leshko and his family were residents of Burke, Va. for 44 years.

Upon retirement from the Navy, he joined the Martin-Marietta Corporation (later Lockheed-Martin) at their corporate headquarters in Bethesda, Md. There he served as director of marketing and business development for the Information Systems Group. He retired from this position at Lockheed Martin in 1990. Upon leaving the corporate world, Capt. Leshko worked as a mortgage loan consultant/banker for North American Mortgage Company, Washington Mutual Mortgage, SunTrust Mortgage and McLean Mortgage in Fairfax, Va.

Capt. Leshko was born in Harleigh in 1935. He attended a one room schoolhouse through the seventh grade and later graduated from Hazle Twp. High School. He received his bachelor's degree from the State Teachers College at East Stroudsburg (now East Stroudsburg University) in East Stroudsburg, and a master's degree in financial management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. He later graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Leshko was a longtime member of Army Navy Country Club (ANCC) in Northern Virginia where he enjoyed countless rounds of golf, fine dining and numerous social events. While he competed in many tournaments and had four hole-in-one's, his proudest accomplishment at the club was introducing his three grandsons to the game he loved through the ANCC Junior Golf Programs.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jean of Burke, Va.; two daughters, Jennifer (Dan) Kosko, Burke, Va.; and Jacqueline (Julie Lerner) Leshko, San Diego, Calif.; three grandsons, Corey (Catherine Flaatten) Kosko, Alexandria, Va.; Connor (Allison) Kosko, Alexandria, Va.; Christian (Laura) Kosko, Washington, D.C.; brother, Robert "Bob" Leshko, Sugarloaf Twp.; and several nieces and nephews.

A burial is planned for Arlington National Cemetery in the coming months. A visitation and celebration of life will be held the evening prior to the burial. Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements.

Visit the funeral home's Obituaries page in coming weeks for the date of burial.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity in Tom's name.