John "Tom" Telford's Obituary
John (Tom) Telford, 76, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, February 11, 2017, surrounded by his family. He was born July 26, 1940 in Birmingham, Alabama to Elliott and Katherine Telford.
He received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida and his Masters Degree in nuclear engineering from Catholic University.
After working in the nuclear engineering field for many years, in 1989 he founded TFE, Inc., a successful nuclear engineering consulting firm.
In 2002, he received a lung transplant after developing pulmonary fibrosis. In the following years, he was passionate in assisting to raise funds for the University of Florida transplant center. He was instrumental in the State of Florida awarding a $1 million grant to UF to establish a lung transplant center, and fund research projects focused on problems such as chronic rejection.
He loved to fish and to spend time on his boat with family and friends.
He is survived by his wife, Eileen Telford; sons, John Telford, Jr. and Dan Telford; daughter, Lisa Homann; grandchildren, Logan, Nicholas, Joey, and Natalia; his beloved dogs, Lucy and Mel, and many nieces and nephews and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elliott Telford and Katherine Telford Brodt, sister, Katherine Winterhalter Lopez, and brother Elliott Telford, Jr.
A memorial service will be held Friday, February 17, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. at the Plantation Hall in Haile Plantation Village Center, 5100 SW 91st Terrace, followed by a gathering to celebrate Tom’s life until 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations for the University of Florida’s Lung Transplant Program can be made out to the Tom and Eileen Telford Lung Transplant Support Fund or the UF Foundation Inc. [fund #020959] and sent to P.O. Box 14425, Gainesville, FL 32604-2425, attn: Gift Processing. Please note Tom Telford or UF Foundation fund #020959 in the memo area. Gifts can also be made electronically at this link: www.uff.ufl.edu/appeals/Telford.
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