Thomas Small

Thomas Jeffrey Small, 68, of Mechanicsburg, PA, passed away on Thursday, December 3, 2015 in his home with his loving family by his side after a long battle with cancer. He was born February 28, 1947 in Chambersburg, PA, the only child of the late John S. and Peggy Stoner Small.

Jeff was a graduate of Chambersburg Area Senior High School class of 1965, received his bachelor’s degree from Shippensburg University and did graduate work through Penn State and Wilkes Universities. A Navy veteran of the Vietnam era, he served aboard the DD849 as a radar man and an air intercept specialist. Jeff taught English in the Cumberland Valley School District for twenty-eight years. He was a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, American Legion Post #109, and a life member of the NRA.

Jeff loved things that shared the sky whether they were birds or products of man's ingenuity. He built an experimental airplane which took him and wife Sandy to Oshkosh, Florida, the Midwest, and around the East Coast. With eyes upward, life is limitless. Jeff was also fond of reading, music, nature, birding and hiking.

Surviving Jeff is his wife of 44 years, Sandy Kadel Small; two daughters, Brooke May and husband Mark with grandson Thomas and Courtney Deardorff and husband Josh with granddaughter Savannah.

Memorial services will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, Jeff requested that you celebrate life by making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 2405 Park Drive, Suite 100, Harrisburg, PA 17110, the MDS Foundation, 4573 South Broad St., Suite 150, Yardville, NJ 08620, or by planting a tree. Arrangements are being handled by Hollinger Funeral Home & Crematory, Mt. Holly Springs, PA. 17065. Visit www.hollingerfuneralhome.com for online condolences to the family.