Thomas Lawrence Pugh

On Sunday morning, October 18, 2020, Dr. Thomas L. Pugh, died at age 90 with Pat (Tessier) Pugh, his wife of 67 years, at his side. Tom was a loving husband and father to four children.

Tom was born December 13, 1929, in Essex, Ontario, Canada, to Philip and Elsie (King) Pugh and was the older brother to Reg Pugh. Moving to Detroit, MI, the family became naturalized US citizens in 1943. After high school in Detroit, Tom earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees in chemistry, graduating from Wayne State University in 1956.

On June 13, 1953, Tom married Patricia Tessier in Detroit, MI. Upon graduation, Tom accepted a position with DuPont in Wilmington, DE. There Pat and Tom raised four children: James, Katherine, Robert, and Elizabeth. In 1985, Tom transferred to Conoco working 6 years in Ponca City, OK, and finishing his Conoco career in 1994 after spending 4 years in Oslo, Norway. Always one to keep his mind active, Tom consulted and taught college chemistry courses well into retirement.

Tom and Pat spent the first 6 years of retirement living in Ashville, NC, moving to Waukesha, WI, in 2001 to be near family: Katherine in Milwaukee and James in Chicago. For the past 14 years, they resided near son Robert and family in the southwest suburban Atlanta cities of Fayetteville, Peachtree City, and Newnan, GA.

Growing up near Lake Erie and close to the Chesapeake Bay while in Wilmington, Tom enjoyed fishing, the outdoors, and gardening. He also took an active interest in his children’s activities, serving as an assistant scout master.

Tom was preceded in death by his father, Philip; mother, Elsie; brother, Reg; and granddaughter, Madison Leigh Wright. He is survived by his wife, Pat; four children: James, Katherine (Pugh-Wright), Robert, and Elizabeth; 6 grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. A virtual memorial service is being planned for family and friends. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at www.cff.org in the memory of Madison Leigh Wright.