Gorman, Thomas J., Age: 88, Lincroft

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Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Thomas J. Gorman, 88, of Lincroft, entered into eternal life on April 4. He was born in New York City in 1929 and graduated from Cardinal Hays High School in the Bronx and Providence College in Rhode Island where he earned a degree in economics. Upon graduation he became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. He served on the U.S.S. Arneb during the Korean War. He subsequently served at sea on the U.S.S. Catoctin, in the commissioning crew of the U.S.S. Saratoga, aboard the U.S.S. Elokomin and on the U.S.S. Remey. The majority of his sea service was with the U.S. Second and Sixth Fleets in the Mediterranean Sea.

Cmdr. Gorman’s service ashore was mostly on staff assignments for the Commander, Eastern Sea Frontier in New York City. His assignments included temporary duty to the Columbian Minister of Defense for sea control purposes. He also served as a briefing officer for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. His other assignments included naval control of merchant shipping involving NATO missions and serving as a liaison officer with, at various times, the commander-in-chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Maritime Administration. While on the staff of the Commandant, Third Naval District, he was assigned to the repatriation team for U.S. prisoners of war from North Vietnam and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his work in this mission. Cmdr. Gorman also completed two tours in the field of training and education as commanding officer of two U.S. Naval Reserve training centers.

After Cmdr. Gorman retired from active duty, he became a founder and first headmaster of the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) at Sandy Hook. During this time, he was also involved with the establishment of the U.S.S. New Jersey as a museum and educational facility as vice-chairman of the U.S.S. New Jersey Battleship Commission.

Cmdr. Gorman was also involved in numerous professional organizations and was a parishioner of St. Leo the Great Church in Lincroft for over 50 years. As a result of his naval service, he developed a love for traveling and the sea, having crossed the Atlantic with his wife 16 times on the Queen Elizabeth II. Tom was also very proud of his Irish heritage. He was a master story teller who was blessed with the Irish “gift of the gab.”

Cmdr. Gorman was preceded by his parents, Edward and Susan Gorman, his brother Edward Gorman Jr., and his wife Marie O’Malley Gorman. He is survived by his two children, Thomas J. Gorman Jr., of Bushkill, Pennsylvania, and Kathleen Gorman DeCamp, of Bel Air, Maryland; and his grandchildren Timothy, Christopher and Michael De Camp.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. April 12 at the John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Ave., Red Bank. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Leo the Great Church in Lincroft on April 13 at 10:15 a.m. with burial to follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Middletown.

Letters of condolence can be emailed via the funeral home’s website at johnedayfuneralhome.com.