Tom Magness passed away at 1930 hours, 28 December, at the VA Hospital in Washington DC. Beloved husband of Dhana L. Magness; father of Lt. Col. Thomas H. Magness, IV, John M. Magness, Jennifer E. Perrier and Paul Scott Magness; brother
of David M. Magness and the late Charles F. Magness; grandfather of Jenna, Chelsea, Shelby, John Michael Jr. and Gary Thomas.
A Mass of
Christian Burial for Tom was held at 10:45 am, 5 January, at the Old Post Chapel, Fort Myer, Virginia,
followed by burial in Arlington National Cemetery. A reception was held afterward at the Fort Myer
Officers Club.
Messages of condolences can be sent to Dhana and her family at 11721 Saddle Crescent Circle,
Oakton, VA 22124.
Donations in lieu of flowers should be sent to the Chaplain's Service Fund, VA Hospital, Attn: Hospice Unit, 50 Irving Street,
Washington, DC 20422.
Remembrances:
A tribute to a great soldier and gentleman. As Tom joins the Long grey Line, we can cherish his friendship and camaraderie.
He will be missed by us all. God be with him and his family. He joins others of us that have lost loved family members in 2004.
God Bless….
Paul Valley
To The Magness Family:
Please accept our sincere condolences on behalf of the Olshansky Family.
We have such fond memories of Tom from when he and Dhana hosted the Class of '61 for a class social at their beautiful home
in Virginia. When our son Tory was a Cadet, Class of '97, Tom 's son was a "P" and extended his warmth to another class son.
And Tom and his son extended their hospitality to us to attend their renown "Department Lobster Bake". We will cherish these
memories.
" Well Done!"
Myra & Shane
Obituary from funeral program:
Colonel (Ret) Thomas H. "Tom" Magness III went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, December 28,2004 at the Veteran's
Administration Hospital in Washington, DC, surrounded by family and friends.
Tom was born May 7, 1937 in Baltimore, MD, the son of the late Colonel Thomas H. Magness, Jr. and Alice Severs Magness.
He graduated from West Point in 1961 and was commissioned as an artillery officer. He served in field artillery units in
Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina and Turkey. He served as an Artillery Battalion operations officer in Vietnam where he was
severely wounded in action in 1970, earning a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. He transferred to the Corps of Engineers in
1974. Tom spent the remainder of his career in Army environmental management positions to include assignments at West Point,
Fort Monroe, US Army - Europe, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. His career culminated with an assignment
as the Chief of the Army's Environmental Office in the Pentagon. He retired as a Colonel in 1986.
As a Vice President for Tetra Tech in Fairfax, VA, Tom continued to serve the nation, working on environmental issues
associated with Army transformation and the Joint Stewardship Working Group. He worked with National Guard units around the
country on environmental assessments and taught courses on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at Duke University and
at West Point. Tom's work at Tetra Tech gave him an opportunity to protect the wildlife he loved-from the most common species
to an endangered blue butterfly in New Hampshire or red-cockaded woodpecker in South Carolina. More importantly, it allowed him
to share his extensive knowledge of natural resource conservation with the young professionals he mentored and the countless
military personnel he taught across the country. The ripple effect of his teaching, policy-making, problem-solving, and
people" skills will continue to create stewards of the environment far into the future. A registered Professional Engineer,
Tom was awarded the de Fleury Medal in 2004 for a lifetime of service to the Corps of Engineers.
Tom made many friends during and after his military career. He made meaningful, lasting relationships with all whom he came
in contact. He was a man of deep faith, active in his church, a lover of wildlife and the outdoors, and a devoted family man.
He was active with the Northern Virginia USMA Class of 1961 organization, Christians in Commerce, and countless environmental
and engineering organizations including the Society of American Military Engineers and the National Defense Industrial
Association.
He is survived by the love of his life, his wife Dhana, of Oakton, VA; three sons, LTC Thomas H. IV (USMA '85), John M.
(USMA '86), Paul S. (Norwich '95) and a daughter, Jennifer E. Perrier (UV A '91); a brother, David M. Magness of Arlington, VA;
and five grandchildren.
The family requests that expressions of sympathy be in the form of contributions to the Veteran's Administration Hospital,
Chaplain's Service Fund at 50 Irving Street, Washington, DC, 20422 (Attn: Hospice Unit).
After the service, a reception was held at the Ft. Myer Officers Club.
