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Thomas Frederick Grapes
<p>Thomas Frederick Grapes, age 73, of Sykesville, MD, died peacefully in his sleep on July 10, 2026, of complications from Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).</p><p><br></p><p>Born on May 21, 1953, to the late Stanley and Bernice Grapes of North Tonawanda, NY, Tom was the middle of three children. After graduating from Sweet Home High school in 1971, Tom earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Vermont. He was drawn to Vermont by his love of skiing and the outdoors. After graduating in 1975 he moved to the Baltimore area to start a career at Westinghouse Electronic Systems which he maintained through its acquisition by Northrop Grumman until his retirement in 2018, contributing to the design of many industrial and defense systems and receiving a number of patents and awards. During his career he also earned a Master’s degree from the University of Maryland and performed graduate research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after receiving the Lamme award from Westinghouse to study anywhere in the world.</p><p><br></p><p>In 1980, Tom was introduced to Paula Christine Yacek by his freshman roommate, Chris Komline. They were married in Princeton, NJ in 1983 and together had three sons: Philip, Michael, and Stephen. They lived first in Columbia before settling in Sykesville in 1995. Tom was endlessly curious and had a lifelong love of the outdoors which he shared with his family in a range of pursuits, including camping, boating, hiking, and biking. Later in life he discovered geocaching and had great fun exploring Maryland and many other parts of the US with GPS in hand, searching for hidden treasures and making many great friends along the way. His greatest achievement on a bicycle was probably the completion of a 400 mile, 8 day ride of the entire Erie Canal with Paula in 2018, an accomplishment of which they were both understandably proud. He had a fascination with the Appalachian Trail and hiked many portions of it over the years, and had hoped to do a thru-hike in retirement.</p><p><br></p><p>In 2022 Tom was diagnosed with MSA, a rare and aggressive neurodegenerative disease with some similarities to Parkinson’s. It was incredibly difficult as it deprived him of the ability to do most of the activities he loved and paralyzed his vocal cords, limiting communication. In spite of that he continued to contribute around the house and enjoyed getting together with friends. Tom was a man of faith, attending church and seeking God’s will even as he dealt with the challenges of his disease. Before his illness he enjoyed singing in the choir and served on the vestry of St. Stephen’s Reformed Episcopal Church.</p><p><br></p><p>Tom is survived by his wife of 43 years, Paula Grapes; brother Jonathan Grapes (Beth) of Amherst, NY; sister Martha Grapes Benson (John) of Sterling, IL; sons Philip Grapes of Sykesville and Stephen Grapes of Ellicott City; son and daughter-in-law Michael and Nichole Grapes of Livermore, CA; and grandchildren Owen, Harvey, and Ella.</p><p><br></p><p>The family will receive friends from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Friday, July 17 at Haight Funeral Home & Chapel, 6416 Sykesville Road, Sykesville. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday, July 18 at St. Stephen’s Reformed Episcopal Church, Eldersburg, followed immediately by interment at Lake View Memorial Park, Eldersburg. A luncheon at the church will follow.</p><p><br></p><p>In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to donate to MSA research through Mission MSA (missionmsa.org), Compassion International, or the Appalachian Trail Conservancy</p><p><br></p>May 21, 1953 - July 10, 202605/21/195307/10/2026
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Thomas Frederick Grapes
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