84 Los Altos Thomas Hedgcoxe Adams died peacefully in Los Altos, CA, on December 4, 2024.

He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Pam, daughter Kelly of San Francisco, son Jeffrey, daughter-in-law Caitlyn, and grandchildren Theodore and Eloise of Scituate, MA, and son Michael and daughter-in-law Danielle Reoppelle of San Ramon. He is preceded in death by his father Tom, mother Laura, and sister Pam.

Tom was born on February 23, 1940, in Roswell, NM and grew up in Phoenix where he graduated from North Phoenix High School in 1958. He then went on to Arizona State University where he graduated with a business degree and met his first wife, Wilma. Tom and Wilma got married in 1962 and moved to the Bay Area where they welcomed a baby girl, Kelly, into their home. In San Francisco, Tom started his career in supply chain management at Del Monte while taking night classes at Santa Clara University — earning an MBA in 1967. Tom and Wilma would both go on to remarry.

Tom met Pam while working at American President Lines. They got married in 1977 and would welcome two sons, Jeffrey and Michael. In 1986, they moved to Los Altos where Tom worked for several tech companies, including Apple, Fairchild, and Cisco, until his retirement in 2000.

Tom loved crosswords, jazz, and a good book, and was constantly picking up new hobbies like sailing, photography, woodworking, and piano. Tom and Pam loved traveling together with friends and family —on new adventures to China, Vietnam, Italy, and Machu Picchu, and old favorites like Hawaii, Yosemite, and the Lair of the Golden Bear at Pinecrest Lake. Tom loved to make people laugh —especially his grandchildren —with his dry humor and sly smirks.

Tom was not without his faults, however. His sweet tooth was insatiable (Oreos and Snickers in particular could not be left unattended) and he seemed to have a different jacket for every microclimate (he’d claim he was just helping the economy). Tom was never a huge sports fan, but loved going to Giants and Cal football games. A classic Tom story, and family favorite, was at an afternoon Giants game where an overdressed Tom stubbornly wore all of his layers for all 9innings.

Tom lived a full life and left this life surrounded by his family. There will be a memorial service to celebrate Tom’s life at 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 16 at the Los Altos History Museum. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer's Association. The family would like to thank all of the caregivers and staff at the Terraces Los Altos, Stanford Hospital, and Sutter Health Hospice for their kindness, support, and guidance throughout this difficult time.