Thomas Jefferson Landis

Thomas Jefferson Landis
July 4, 1927 - August 18, 2021

Thomas Jefferson Landis died on August 18, 2021, quietly at his home, surrounded by his family, from complications due to cancer. He was 94. Tom was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1927, the youngest child of Millard and Marie (Lackey) Landis. In the spring of 1945, at age 17, he enlisted in the United States Navy, having completed his Carlisle High School graduation requirements and wishing to join the war effort. He served as deck crewman on the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa until 1946. After the war, he enrolled at Dickinson College on a G.I. Bill scholarship, graduating with a degree in Biology in 1950. He was the first in his family’s history to attend and to graduate from college. He earned a Masters Degree in Zoology from Kansas State University in 1952, graduated from KSU’s Veterinary School in 1958, and began his large and small animal Veterinary practice in Carlisle the following year. He married Donna Ziegler of Carlisle in 1960. They raised their three children at their home on Conway Street in Carlisle, spending 55 years in the same residence. Tom had boundless curiosity and energy for numerous and varied pursuits throughout his lifetime. He was an avid hunter and fly fisherman, boat builder and sailor, furniture builder, home repairer and remodeler, amateur naturalist, sculptor and painter, and a voracious reader. Until he became ill last year, he played weekly tennis. He was an alpine skier for nearly 70 years, and was an active conservationist throughout his life. He retired from Veterinary work in 2016, after 58 years of continuous practice. He was honored in 2017 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association “in recognition of his dedicated work and selfless service to Cumberland County’s residents, animals, and agricultural community as a veterinarian and practice owner.” He is survived by Donna, his wife of 60 years, daughter Kathryn (Kate) of Rutherford, New Jersey, son Justin (Jud) and wife Jeanne Bowers of Eugene, Oregon, son Abel and wife Kara of Carlisle, and two grandchildren, Alexander and Benjamin Landis. He was preceded in death by brothers Richard and Wilbur (Bill) Landis. The family will announce plans for a celebration of life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends perform acts of kindness to others in his memory.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Hoffman Funeral Home & Crematory, 2020 W. Trindle Road, Carlisle PA 17013.
To sign the guestbook, please visit www.HoffmanFH.com.