Maurice Thompson Ireland Jr.

Maurice Thompson "Tom" Ireland, Jr., 85, of Hagerstown, MD, passed away, Friday, May 23, 2025, peacefully at his home.
Born Thursday, May 16, 1940, in Annapolis, MD, he was the son of the late Maurice T. Ireland Sr., and the late Elizabeth (Beasley) Ireland.
Maurice was a graduate from North Hagerstown High School, class of 1958.
Tom worked for many years as a sporting goods representative, starting with Savage Arms and then many other sporting goods companies and gun shops.
Tom was the quintessential renaissance-man. He was a member of the NRA, Shippensburg Fish and Game Club, and Single Action Shooting Society.
His many hobbies included hunting, woodworking, leatherworking, gun-smithing, fletching, recurve archery, hand loading/reloading, long-range shooting and cowboy shoots. He loved history, especially American History and enjoyed participating in re-enactments, from the French and Indian War to the Civil War; even acted as an extra in the epic movie "Gettysburg". He was an avid reader and learner – enjoying to the end learning about new things via YouTube. He was also a passionate teacher; he immensely enjoyed passing on his experiences and knowledge to the younger generations, as well as being a fascinating storyteller with an amazing ability to remember details and dates, for which his kids and grand-kids will always be grateful.
He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Anna Lee Ireland; daughter, Maureen T. Lopez and husband, Jeff Lopez of Dahlonega, GA; daughter, Kelly I. Batey and husband Jeff Batey of Hagerstown MD; and son, Michael Hurley of Smithsburg MD. He was the proud grandfather of 7 grandchildren: Riley Lopez, Ian Lopez, Maura Lopez Clark, Kelia Lopez Ferreira, Kate Lopez, Kyle Batey, and Adam Batey and 4 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Robert Ireland of Washington state.
Family will receive friends at the Douglas A. Fiery Funeral Home, 1331 Eastern Blvd. N. Hagerstown, MD 21742, Saturday, May 31, 2025, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.douglasfiery.com