Thomas Kenneth Niehaus

August 3, 1939 - December 29, 2022 Lexington, KY ?

Thomas K. Niehaus died peacefully on 12/29/22 in Lexington, KY. Born August 3, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio, he graduated from Xavier High School in 1957, attended Florissant Seminary in St. Louis for two years, and graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati in 1965. Tom was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study in Madrid, Spain from 1966-1967. He completed his PhD in Library Science at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1977 he moved to New Orleans to be the director of the Latin American library at Tulane University until 1990. Tom returned to his pastoral roots by attending divinity school at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN and was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1993. His first congregation was St. John's in Sylva, NC. The second and last congregation he led was St. Thomas in Burnsville, NC where he & Julie lived for 15 years. Upon retirement he moved to Milwaukee to be near son Mark & grandson Oliver. While a member of St. Boniface in Mequon, WI he celebrated his 50th anniversary with Julie in 2014. Since 2018, Tom has lived in Lexington, KY to be nearer to daughter Emily and her family. Tom is preceded in death by mother Lucille, father Sylvester, step father Steven Douglas, Brother James "Jim" and Robert "Bob." Tom is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Julie, son Mark and grandson Oliver, daughter Emily Messerli, son-in-law Adrian, and grandchildren M?a, Kate and Marco. A private burial will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers or gifts please send memorial donations to the Abbey of Gesthemani, 3642 Monks Rd, New Haven, KY 40051. Thomas Merton, Tom's favorite theologian spent many years at Gesthemani. https://monks.org/monks-pages/thomas-merton/. Condolence cards may be mailed to wife Julie at 2020 Cambridge Drive, Lexington, KY 40504.