Obituary published on Legacy.com by Fitzgerald-Sommer Funeral Home - Yardley on Sep. 15, 2025.
Thomas Sidney Cadwallader III, known to friends and family as Tom, died on September 15, 2025, at St. Mary's Hospital of complications from cancer. He was an active resident of Bucks County, Pennsylvania his entire life.
Tom was born on Election Day on November 2, 1948. This perhaps explains Tom's lifelong interest in civic affairs. He graduated from George School, Earlham College and Dickinson Law School. He practiced law in
Yardley, PA for 50 years, in a firm started by his father, T. Sidney Cadwallader II.
At Earlham College, he met his first wife, Judy Sordean, and they married in 1973. Together they raised three children: Michele (Tracy Epp), Jason (Nicole Beeman) and Sarah (Nick Swanson-Hysell) who were with him in his final days. They have five grandchildren: Camilla, Sidney, Cyrus, Madeline, and Wilma. Later, Tom married Katherine Poles who pre-deceased him. Tom leaves behind siblings, Leonard (Mary Ann) Cadwallader, Elizabeth (Terry) Cadwallader, his brother-in-law William Bannerman, and is predeceased by his father, Thomas Sidney Cadwallader II, mother, Carolyn Cadwallader, and his sister, Lyn Bannerman.
Tom cared deeply for the spiritual dimension of his life and was an active participant in several faith communities – Yardley Friends Meeting, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and St. Ignatius Church. A lifelong resident of Yardley, Tom gave generously of his time and legal expertise to ensure its continued vibrancy, serving on the Yardley Borough Sewer Authority Board and helping to create and grow the Harvest Day celebration.
An avid and wide reader, Tom enthusiastically shared insights gained from tomes ranging from Quaker spiritual practices to Janet Evanovich's books set in Trenton. He discussed his latest reads weekly on phone calls with his children. His favorite T-shirt read, "So many books, so little time."
Tom delighted in time at the family's farm in Wallingford, VT, and the family's rustic cabin in Eustis, ME. Over his lifetime, he took trips with his family around the US, Europe and Central America. He enjoyed annual trips to the Jersey shore when his children were young and more recently the Grand Canyon with all his children and grandchildren.
A Quaker-style memorial service will be held at Yardley Friends Meeting 65 N. Main Street
Yardley, PA 19067 on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 1:00PM. Arrangements are under the care of the FitzGerald-Sommer Funeral Home 17 S. Delaware Avenue
Yardley, PA 19067.
Remembrances can be left online at fitzgeraldsommerfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, Tom's family asks that donations be made in his memory to Pendle Hill. You can also honor his memory by shopping at a local independent bookshop and voting in your local elections.