Obituary of Thomas D. O'Sullivan

Thomas O' Sullivan Tommy passed away unexpectedly on August 4th of a heart attack. Tommy was born in New York City on April 28, 1941 and graduated from Good Shepherd School where his intellectual ability was clearly recognized and appreciated as he skipped 2 grades and graduated at the age of 11. He then went on to graduate from St. Ann's Academy, a high school run by the Marist Brothers and then went on to Manhattan College for his undergraduate studies. He continued his studies at Fordam and received his doctorate in Inorganic Chemistry at the age of 25. He was recruited by Bell Labs one of the most prestigious research and scientific development companies which as originally founded by Alexander Graham Bell. He specialized in creating sustainable energy sources for the communication industry such as satelite-based communication and telephone companies who relayed heavily on batteries. He was very innovated and over the course of his career he obtained 27 patents for his work which ultimately belonged to Bell Labs. His expertise was recognized and he was often asked to speak at conferences and workshops around the country. He continues to have many close friends amoung his colleagues at Bell Labs. He had a number of interests such as playing football with the local amateur Inwood Touch Tackle League (which taggled the other team rather than tackle them) and they were quite successful in competitions. In the summer Tommy liked to visit the Hamptons and the Jersey Shore and in the winter he enjoyed going to the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort for the beattiful views and the comradarie of the other guests in the lodge. Skiing itself was completely optional. Tommy also loved opera and recently commented that he had attended Marilyn Horns debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera House in the early 70s. At that time he was a struggling student and would wait outside the Met for opera lovers who who left at break time and would pass their tickets to opera lovers standing outside who could then enter the Met and enjoy the rest of the opera. After graduation he continued attended the Met and Carnegie Hall as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Tommy's depth and breath of knowledge beyond his scientific knowledge was vast. A friend commented: If there was a topic he was not aware of then virtually no one was aware of it. He retained everything he read and cross-referenced which gave a real depth to his thinking. Tommy will be dearly missed by all his family and friends who knew him and loved him. Reposing at Riverdale Funeral Home Friday, August .10 from 3pm - 8pm. Funeral Service will be held at Good Shepherd Church Saturday August 11 at 10am Mass. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Thomas D. O'Sullivan, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.