Thomas William Hedly

Coventry- Thomas W. Hedly Jr., 82, of Portsmouth, passed peacefully after a hard fought battle with medical issues, on Oct. 8, 2020 at Kent County Hospital.

Born Aug. 22, 1938. Thomas was a graduate of Rogers High School. He decided to serve his country in the Army. Thomas served 3 tours in Vietnam before coming home to start his life's journey. He earned his draftsman certificate and went to work for Raytheon. In the 70's, he made the decision to go to computers (CADD). He was always on the cutting edge of CADD for the rest of his working career. He was a co-author of a CADD textbook and took to teaching this knowledge to many high schoolers from Aquidneck Island. After his early retirement from Raytheon, he went to work for SAR systems for another 10 years before retiring to North Carolina.

Thomas married the love of his life, Carol (Mellor), on April 4, 1959, in Newport. They were happily married for 54 years before Carol's passing in 2013. He is survived by his daughter Cheryl Pinto and her husband Richard of Coventry, RI, his son Kenneth and his wife Patricia of Bridgton, ME. His grandsons Ryan Pinto and his wife Nicole of West Warwick, RI, Austin Pinto of Coventry, RI, Sean Hedly of Bridgton, ME and one granddaughter Alex Hedly of Bridgton, ME, and to the joy of her Pop Pop, his great granddaughter Rylee Pinto of Warwick, RI also survive him, as well as his sister-in-law Nancy Hedly of Newport, RI, and his nephews Robert and Todd.

Thomas always had a love for the outdoors. He was an avid camper and was able to see many great sights with his family and friends. He also loved to pass on his knowledge of camping to others, especially when he saw a person new to camping in need. Thomas was a truly kind hearted man who loved to teach others all he knew. He will be deeply missed by all whom he met.

Services will be Private, to watch Mr. Hedley's service click here https://youtu.be/fDQ8M1DMuMM . A celebration of life will be held at a later date when there are less restrictions.