Thomas White

Thomas J. White, 49, passed away on July 11, 2025. A lifelong resident of Albuquerque, Tom was a proud graduate of Eldorado High School and the University of New Mexico, earning his master's in special education in 2008. Tom cherished his time as a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, in later years serving as chapter advisor, mentor and friend to many young men. He enlisted in the Air National Guard in 1995 and served as a maintenance crew member for the jets flown by his father, William H. (Bill) White. The two deployed together to Aviano, Italy; Incirlik, Turkey and the Los Alamos fires during Tom's ten-year military career.

An avid hunter and talented marksman, Tom enjoyed many hours at the range, zeroing long distance rifles and sharing with new shooters his love of the sport and the importance of firearm safety. Tom and Bill traveled all over New Mexico to hunt birds, deer, elk, oryx, javelina and antelope and made two safari trips to Africa. In Zambia, Tom took one of the Big Five, a massive cape buffalo that served as a source of tremendous pride.

Never one to be pigeonholed, Tom also loved plays and musicals and spent much of his childhood working with his mother, Josephine (Jo) White, on her school and community theater productions. He inherited from her the gift of B.S. and was known for his (often off-color) jokes and stories.

Tom's true gift was working with special needs children. During his decades long career as an educator, Tom taught students of diverse backgrounds in many different educational settings, serving as a source of support and guidance to families in need and a mentor to his peers. It was rare to go on any outing with Tom when he was not approached by a former student or parent, eager to reconnect with the man who had made a lasting impression on their lives.

Tom's greatest loves were his two children, Elanor Alexandra (Ellie) and Robert Edward. Tom was endlessly proud of his little ducks, sharing photos and stories with anyone and everyone who would listen. Ellie was Tom's sidekick in mischief, and the two often made late night Target raids, watched horror movies, listened to nineties techno and talked about Greek life. He spent countless hours in his truck with Robert riding shotgun, en route to hunting grounds or shooting schools or just making the rounds to the gun shops where Tom had so many friends.

Tom is survived by his children, parents, brother (Will) and sister-in-law (Kirsten), nieces and nephews (Jack, Caitlin, Mackenzie, Victoria, Lachlan and Madeline), aunts, uncle, in-laws and innumerable cousins and friends, including his wife of twenty years, April. A rosary service will be held at French's Funerals 10500 Lomas Blvd NE on July 25 at 6:00 p.m. and a funeral mass will be said at Prince of Peace Catholic Community, 12500 Carmel Ave NE at 1:00 p.m. on July 26. In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom's memory may be made to Best Buddies in New Mexico, https://www.bestbuddies.org/newmexico/