Thomas Jefferson Way III

Thomas Jefferson Way, 91, passed away at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at River Valley in Poughkeepsie on February 14, 2026. Born at home in Haskell, Oklahoma, on October 4, 1934, he was the son of the late Thomas Jefferson Way, II, and Lucy (Blalock) Way.

After two years as a music major, Tom earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in English from North Texas State College (now the University of Texas). He taught English briefly at his alma mater before he was drafted into the United States Army to serve in West Germany between the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He became a technical writer in the late 1950s, continuing in this career for 60 years.

Tom wrote and edited technical documentation, research reports, academic papers, corporate communications, and other publications for the University of Michigan, IBM Boulder, and IBM locations throughout the Hudson Valley, until he retired in 1992. He continued to seek freelance work, becoming an active member of the Rocky Mountain Publishing Professionals Guild in the 1990s. He returned to full-time work at an IBM subsidiary in Japan from 1999 to 2003, living outside Tokyo, and continued taking small jobs well into his eighties while he lived in Littleton, Colorado; Lockport, New York; and Poughkeepsie.

An avid lover of classical music, he maintained an extensive collection of recordings, and sang with the Camerata Chorale for many years.

He is survived by his daughter Emily Mooney, son-in-law David, and granddaughter Clara, of Toronto; his daughter Dorigen (Dori) Way and daughter-in-law Melody Pipkin, of Littleton, Colorado; and his sister Jeanne (Way) Andrews, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Melinda (Swain) Way, and his sister Amy Sue (Way) Minor, of El Paso, Texas.

The family would like to thank the staff of The Grand for their care of Tom in his last years. Tom asked that there be no service in his memory. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Dutchess County SPCA.

Please visit his Book of Memories at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.