THOMAS JOSEPH BELTON

Thomas J. Belton passed away on January 5, 2020, in Cincinnati, OH.

Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.), Ohio Air National Guard (Ret.), passed away Sunday, January 5, 2020 at age 79.

He was the cherished husband of 52 years of Lois Rupe Belton; loving father of Julieanne Belton Hensley (Diego Moena) and Sean (Julie) Belton; dear Pop of five grandchildren: True and Liam Hensley; and Andrew, Timothy, and Allison Belton. Tom was a family man and a patriot who enjoyed sports, politics, classic westerns and the music of Frank Sinatra.

Visitation will be from 5 P.M. to 8 P.M. on Monday January 13th, at the Vitt, Stermer & Anderson Funeral Home 4619 Delhi Pike. Funeral mass will be at 11 A.M. Tuesday, January 14th at Our Lady of Victory Church.

Donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Vietnam Veterans.

This Obituary Notice was published in The Cincinnati Enquirer from Jan. 9 to Jan. 10, 2020

The following report came to us from Allan McCarthy on January 7th...
Tom took a serious fall on his driveway on Christmas Eve. He sustained a head injury and some spinal damage from which he was not able to recover.

In lieu of flowers, Tom's wife Lois has asked that anyone who would like to honor Tom's memory consider a donation to the Prep '58 Scholarship Fund in Tom's honor.

My earliest memory of Tom was him snaring a pass on the far sideline and racing 65 yards to score a touchdown during a freshman football game at Old Colony Field. Our determined, but struggling, team was to score only one other touchdown that season so Tommy’s catch and run was as good as us winning the Super Bowl.  As seniors of course we turned all that around and shut out the first six teams we played in the 1957 season.

Tom had a big Irish personality, a booming basso profundo voice, a quick and hearty laugh, and as my brother Art remarked when I told him of Tom’s passing, was a “ really good egg”.  Everything we did together , even the mildly rascally stuff, was always with an eye that we not bring upset or embarrassment to our saintly Irish American mothers . God forbid!!!!

As Tom and I aged and matured we became closer kindred spirits with our common love and gratitude for our country and the opportunities it gave two Irish kids from Jersey City. We also reinforced our great love and gratitude for the Prep and all it did to prepare us for productive, morally right and successful lives.

We shared the fact that we both had been commissioned officers in the military. Tom was a true patriot. He was an Air Force officer and spent many years serving our country and ultimately accepted a position in the Ohio Air National Guard. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Knowing his love for our country and the Air Force, I feel in my gut that the recent very impressive “Elephant Walk” conducted by the military, where they launched 52 new F35 jet fighters split seconds apart, was a tip of the hat from the Almighty and the Air Force to the newest resident in heaven.

Tom, his wife Lois and his children, Sean and Julie, enjoyed their lives in Cincinnati very much. I am sure Lois and the children and grandchildren will long cherish the memories of Tom.

Rest In Peace, or in the Old Tongue, sosa i siochin, Tommy, dear friend.