OBITUARY: Major General Thomas F. Deppe Passed Away at Home in Melbourne

commanded thousands of airmen throughout his long and distinguished career

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Major General Thomas F. Deppe (USAF, ret.) passed away peacefully at his home in Melbourne, FL on 28 Aug 2024.

By his side were his loving wife of 55 years, Eileen, his daughter, Lisa and son-in-law Bart. Tom packed more life into his 76 years than most of us could in double that amount of time. He was an inspiration to a legion of friends and family.

Tom is survived by and will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Eileen, sister, Maryanne, daughter Lisa (Bart), sons Tom Jr. (Julie), and Ken (Kristen). He was a proud grandfather to Kaylee (Andrew), Megan (Alan), Jack, Rocco, Linus, Thomas III, Vivian, Riley and Levi. His great grandchildren are Sebastian and Cecilia.

Tom enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. Over the next 42 years of active duty, he and Eileen touched and mentored an extraordinary number of people from all walks of life. His boundless energy fueled his passion for basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer.

He was also the best mid handicap golfer you’ve ever seen. Tom commanded thousands of airmen throughout his long and distinguished career. His innate ability to cultivate relationships amongst all ranks and military specialties was legendary.

His strong ties to the communities in the numerous places he was stationed resulted in life long friendships. Despite his tremendous professional responsibilities at the highest levels of military leadership, he always made time for what is the most important way to insure mission success – taking care of people and families.

He was a titan in the Air Force Space and Missile business, and will be inducted into the inaugural class of the Air Force Missileers Hall of Fame.

Visitation will take place on Wednesday, 2 October, 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Beckman – Williamson Funeral Home, 5400 Village Dr, Viera, FL, 32955.. A funeral mass will be held Thursday, 3 October, 11:00 am at S.t John the Evangelical Catholic Church, 5655 Stadium Parkway, Viera, FL. Internment follows at 2:00 pm at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, 5525 US-1 Hwy, Mims, FL 32754.

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