Thomas J. Mcnamara

Thomas J. McNamara of Quincy, MA, age 90, passed away with family by his side on June 30, 2016. Beloved husband of the late Louise (Downey) McNamara, he is survived by their daughter Susan McNamara of Quincy, their grandson and his wife Michael and Stacey Walsh of Mt. Pleasant, SC, and their great grandsons Samuel and Russell Walsh. He is also survived by 18 nieces and nephews and their families, and by his dear friend Florence Drottar of Midland, MI. He was the devoted brother of the late James F. McNamara of Quincy.

Mr. McNamara was a WWII veteran of the United States Navy. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering at the age of 19, he completed his naval training as a “90 day wonder” and served in the Pacific arena.

He was a pioneer and leader in the world of computers and his business career spanned 5 decades. He was an employee of Honeywell Information Systems for 30 years. In the 1950s, he worked on the development of the timing mechanisms of the LORAN system. Later, he sold and installed the first computer systems for major banks in Boston and in Chicago, and for the government of Australia. He served on several national and international standards bodies. He was the Chief Delegate of the United States for computer standards to the International Standards Organization (ISO) in the 1980s.

 Mr. McNamara devoted much of his time to help make a college education accessible to all. He created the first course in business computing ever taught at Northeastern University, in the 1950s. Under his guidance, that single course evolved into an entire bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems offered at night for working adults. By the late 1980s, there were over 100 business professionals teaching part-time in the program. He continued to serve as a consultant to the program for over 25 years. After his retirement, he served as treasurer and as president of College Courses, Inc., an organization devoted to serving the financial needs of students at Quincy College, He was personally responsible for increasing the amount of scholarships awarded by CCI to students at Quincy College by a factor of 10.

 Mr. McNamara lived a deep Catholic faith. He was a lifelong daily communicant. His life revolved around his beloved St. Ann’s Church in Wollaston, MA, where he served for many years as a Eucharistic Minister and Lector and was a member of the Holy Name and St. Vincent de Paul Societies.

He was an avid traveler. He toured much of the globe with his wife Louise. They traveled frequently throughout the United States and Europe, and ventured to Israel, North Africa, Australia, Japan, India, and Nepal. They also enjoyed dancing, especially ballroom dancing and square dancing.

 As a member of the Squantum Yacht Club in Quincy, MA., he served several terms on the executive committee. He loved the water and spent many happy days boating in Quincy Bay and Boston Harbor. He and Louise also cherished the time they spent with their community of friends at their vacation home in northern New Hampshire. 

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the visiting hours on Friday 4-8 PM in the Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St., QUINCY.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held in the funeral home at 8:15 AM on Saturday prior to the Funeral Mass in St. Ann’s Church, Quincy at 9 AM.

Burial in Knollwood Memorial Park, Canton. 

 In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Thomas McNamara may be made to Servants of Christ Ministries, 87A Maple Street, Scituate, MA 02066 (the ministry of his nephew Fr. Mike McNamara), or to the Perkins Institute for the Blind, 175 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA 02472.