Tom was born at home, in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents are Thomas H. Birkett Sr. and Doris M. Birkett (both now deceased). He has two sisters, Elizabeth M. Wilson (Betty) and May D. Wilson (Sis) and one brother, William I. Birkett (Billy). Tom was always the �Big Brother� and was always there for us. As a young boy, Tom enjoyed going to his Uncle Howard�s shore home with his cousin Sonny and spending a portion of his summer there. They were a good match, having the same cheerful, humorous personalities. They would go swimming, fishing, crabbing, and taking out the rowboat. This was one of Tom�s fond memories. Tom went to Polytechnic High School and immediately after graduating he went to work for the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company as a Draftsman. He stayed with BG&E for 34 years and then retired. Tom met his wife, Maxine at Hobbs Drive-In Restaurant where she worked. It was owned by her Aunt Annie. In 1960, they eloped and were married in Elkton, MD. They would always joke saying, �We had only $25 between us. After paying the minister, we only had $10 left for the Honeymoon.� A year later they were blessed with the birth of their first daughter Diane (Dee Dee), and seven years later, their second daughter Sharon. They bought there home in Baltimore County, where they continued raising their daughters and devoted their lives to family. Tom and Maxine were also very involved with their local church. Tom was the youth minister there. He loved spending time with children. One of the things they enjoyed doing as a couple was going to yard sales and flea markets. As a family they enjoyed going to day trips and eating out. Over time their family grew with the addition of their two granddaughters. First was Diane�s daughter, Candice and later, Sharon�s daughter, Isabella (Izzy). They were overjoyed at being grandparents. Tom and Maxine would often take Candice to the park to �feed the ducks�. Tom devoted his whole life to his family as husband, father and grandfather. Tom also loved music and could spend long stretches of time just listening and enjoying. He knew the lyrics to many songs and liked to sing. He and Diane would spend many hours watching DVD�s and singing along to the concerts of Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young and the Eagles. During his retirement, he also liked hiking with his cousin, Sonny. They were good buddies and hiked the various state parks in Maryland. But his most favorite hiking trip was when Sharon took him to hike to the bottom the Grand Canyon. They had a great time. Tom also became a collector of model ships and paintings of lighthouses. Another favorite pastime was watching TV. One of his favorites was �Everybody Loves Raymond�. He would sit and belly laugh at episodes he had seen a dozen times. He also liked cowboy movies, war movies and documentaries. His favorite ones were by Ken Burns. He watched the Civil War one many times over. A few years ago, Sharon took him to the Battlefield of Gettysburg and Amish Country. He loved that trip. Sadly, in 2005 after suffering a heart attack, Tom�s beloved wife, Maxine, passed away. Tom was very much in love with her and they could often be seen holding hands. Then in 2009, Tom was diagnosed with Dementia and his health began to deteriorate. He gradually could not longer take care of himself and was moved to an Assisted Living Home in Ocean Pines, Maryland. He was just a short distance from Betty�s house and she became his primary caregiver. He was soon diagnosed with a rare and terminal brain disease (CBGD). In November of 2014, Sharon moved him to Florida to be closer to her. In addition to his Assisted Living and Sharon, he had three �personal� caregivers, Zelma, Tammy and Samantha. Tom loved all three of them and they loved him and gave him excellent care. As his disease progressed, he was moved to �Home Sweet Home�, a much smaller facility where he received excellent care from owners Ed and Julie and the exceptionally compassionate staff. On September 30, 1916, Tom�s mother�s birthday, Tom passed away. Sharon was at his bedside. He was loved by so many people who were all blessed by having him in their lives. He will be remembered for his sweet nature, generosity and wonderful sense of humor. May God bless you Tom and grant you eternal peace and rest. You will live in our hearts forever. Thomas H. Birkett� husband of the late Amelia Maxine Birkett, father of Diane Lynn Dowdy and Sharon Ann Birkett, father-in-law of Michelle Toole,�grandfather of Candice Chivonne Dowdy and Isabella Maxine Toole-Birkett, son of the late Thomas H. Birkett Sr. and Doris M. Birkett, brother of Elizabeth M. Wilson, May D. Tignall and William I. Birkett, uncle of many nieces and a nephew, cousin of Carl White Jr. (Sonny), patient and friend of guardian angels, Zelma Gualtney, Tammy Sutula, Samantha Smith, Ed and Julie and the compassionate staff of Home Sweet Home. You are using an outdated web browser that does not support this video. Your browser does not support this video format. You should be able to view it in Chrome, Safari or Internet Explorer. $(document).ready(function(){ if ( false === supports_h264_baseline_video() ) { $("#vdfmtnt").show(); $("#vidplyr1").hide(); }
});