Thomas Robert James

Thomas Robert James, 85, of Brunswick, Maryland, passed from this life on Friday, January 16, 2026, at Silverado Memory Care, Frederick, MD.

Born on October 17, 1940, in Highland Park, Michigan, where he was adopted by his loving parents, Dorothy and Charles James, who preceded him in death.

Tom graduated from high school in Detroit and then received an Engineering Degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. After moving to Chicago to work for the Atomic Energy Commission, he received an MBA from Northwestern University. Tom continued his career at the Department of Energy in Washington DC, and retired in 1995 from over 30 years of government service. While not actually retired, Tom and his wife, Terry, moved to San Diego for his work in the Engineering School at the University of California San Diego. He then fully retired in 2005.

Tom is survived by his wife of 30 years, Terry Merriman James; four children: Lisa James (Paul Quincoses), Susie James-Burdumy (Nelson), Kathy James, and Thomas James; two step-children: Chris Axline and Sara Axline; nine grandchildren, one great-grandson, and dearest friends, John and Gillian Reeves.

After retiring, Tom and Terry met John and Gillian who wanted to travel together. The foursome traversed the globe while visiting over 100 countries. Oh, the adventures they shared were beyond the imagination. Tom always challenged himself with daring events, just to mention two: being lifted by an elephant's trunk onto the back of it, and running to take a photo of a lion in camp in Zimbabwe while the guide was screaming for him to come back.

Tom truly enjoyed being with family. He and Terry took his children and their families on many trips to a timeshare in Mexico, where Tom cooked his special shrimp omelets every morning. He and Terry also made several cruises to Mexico with his children and with Terry's children and their families. Visiting with family and making memories together was such a special experience for him.

Tom cherished his time with the grandchildren. He loved to watch them play sports, and he traveled to see them play in Seattle and Folsom, as well as watching locally. Tom loved playing games, swimming in the pool, and building projects with the grandkids. He will truly be missed.

Tom's family would like to thank Silverado Memory Care in Frederick and Frederick Health Hospice for their excellent care of Tom.

A celebration of Tom's life is planned for Sunday, January 25th, with a visitation at 3:30 PM and services at 4:00 PM at the Brunswick Crossing Clubhouse in Brunswick, Md. 

Interment will be private.

Memorial donations may be made to Brunswick Beacon. Send checks made out Beacon to this address: Beacon, 7 S. Maryland Ave., Brunswick, MD 21716.

Expressions of sympathy may be offered to the family at StaufferFuneralHome.com.