About
Thomas Curlee Obituary
Thomas O. Curlee, III, a resident of Poughkeepsie and LaGrange since 1969, passed away on Tuesday, December 5th, 2023. He was 81.
Born on May 8th, 1942, at U.S. Army Fort Polk near DeRidder, Louisiana, and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, he was the son of the late Thomas O. Curlee, Jr. and Elizabeth Williams Curlee.
Mr. Curlee is survived by his beloved daughters Katie Cresswell (Eliot) of Saratoga Springs, NY, and Caroline Greenfield (Jacob) of Pleasant Valley, NY, two beautiful granddaughters Celia and Mabel Greenfield, and a loving sister, Mary Arnett, of Spartanburg, SC. Mr. Curlee was predeceased by his younger brother, Paul Curlee of Greenville, SC.
Mr. Curlee attended Clemson University where he received bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering in 1964 and 1969, respectively. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies and the Clemson Alumni Association. Mr. Curlee's automobile has license plates bearing the word CLEMSON.
Employed by IBM in Poughkeepsie from 1969 until his retirement in 1997, Mr. Curlee held several technical and management positions and received a number of patents and awards, including an Outstanding Technical Achievement award in 1983, an Invention Achievement award in 1984, and an IBM Corporate award in 1986. He was previously employed by Westinghouse in Cheektowaga, NY.
A lover of theater organ concerts and music, Mr. Curlee was a 35-year member of the New York Theater Organ Society.
Mr. Curlee was a 48-year member of Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church and served on its board of trustees for 15 years, 3 years as chairman.
A funeral service will be held at Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church, 2381 New Hackensack Road, Poughkeepsie, on Friday, December 15th, at 10:00 AM.
Funeral arrangements are being provided by Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home, 371 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie.
Visiting hours will be from 4-6 PM at the funeral home on Thursday, December 14th, 2023.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thomas Curlee, please visit Tribute Store
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
4 Entries
Frederick Flusche
December 12, 2023
I was on several projects with Tom but only got to have a personal relationship after retirement. We met at monthly bull sessions at the Poughkeepsie Gallery and I always enjoyed his sense of humor talking about the `good old old days´. Sorry to hear of his passing.
Fred Robbins
December 9, 2023
Fred Robbins
December 9, 2023
Fred Robbins
December 9, 2023
My heartfelt prayers and sympathies to the family.
I can only hope that you will begin to feel some of the peace that now surrounds Tom.
1968 I was a BSEE student at Clemson and met Tom when he was supervising a lab I attended.
1970 Returning from Vietnam (I actually was previously stationed at Fort Polk!), I came to work at IBM Poughkeepsie, and have lived here ever since. At some point Tom and I found each other and kept in touch. I found out were were also fellow Tau Beta Pi members (See photo).
I frequently talk with other IBM friends who also knew Tom from work.
Then a few months ago Tom called and said we should get together
for lunch at DaddyO's in Hopewell Junction. We talked on the phone a few times after that, catching up some more.
On October 4th we finally had that lunch. (See photo).
As Tom got ready to drive home, he discovered he'd locked the key in his car.
Having done the same thing more than once, I offered to drive him home and get another key. That gave us a round-trip to trade more stories.
Over the next few weeks, we had a couple long talks, exchanging details about every hifi (remember that term?) amplifier, preamp, speaker, turntable, CD player we had, or dreamed of having.
When I offered Tom my recording of 36 hours of the History of Rock & Roll, he accepted and sent me the CDs of his fantastic oldies collection, complete with printed documentation. I've definitely been enjoying it! Last time we talked he'd started listening to my DVD.
Only a couple weeks ago, we promised to get together in his mancave for some real good fun ASAP. He'd kept me up to date on his condition, and hoped we'd do it after the holidays.
But now, I've been blessed to have Tom as such a good longtime friend before he left this earth.
May He Rest in Peace.
Fred
How you can show support
Follow
Get email updates whenever changes are made.
Send flowers
Consider sending flowers.
Add photos
Share their life with photo memories.
Plant trees
Honor them by planting trees in their memory.
Donate in Memory
Make a donation in memory of your loved one.
Share this page
Invite other friends and family to visit the page.
Showing 1 - 4 of 4 results
371 Hooker Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Make a Donation
in Thomas Curlee's name
People and places connected with Thomas
Recent Obituaries
Recent Obituaries
How to support Thomas's loved ones
Should I Send Sympathy Flowers?
What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
Read more
What Should I Write in a Sympathy Card?
We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
Read more
Resources to help you cope with loss
How to Cope With Grief
Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you.
Read more
Estate Settlement Guide
If you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
Read more
Obituaries, grief & privacy: Legacy’s news editor on NPR podcast
Legacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read moreWays to honor Thomas Curlee's life and legacy
Obituary Examples
You may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
Read more
Obituary Templates – Customizable Examples and Samples
These free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
Read more
How Do I Write a Eulogy?
Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
Read more
