Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr.

Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr., 81, of Davenport, died Sunday, June 26, 2022 at his home surrounded by family.  Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial for Tom will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 1, 2022 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Davenport. The Mass will be livestreamed by clicking the following link : St. Paul the Apostle FACEBOOK  Burial will be in the Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island with military honors. Visitation will be Thursday from 4 until 7 p.m. at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, downtown Davenport.  Additional visitation will take place Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Mass in the gathering space at church.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Paul the Apostle Parish.

Thomas John Quinlan, Jr. was born on June 8, 1941 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a son of Nora Mary (Roche) and Thomas John Quinlan, Sr.  He graduated from La Salle College High School in Philadelphia and Drexel Institute of Technology in 1965 with a degree in engineering. While at Drexel in 1961, he met Frieda Helen Menzer and they were united in marriage on December 27, 1965 at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Philadelphia.  They shared over almost 47 years before Frieda’s passing on December 15, 2012.

While a Senior at Drexel, Tom joined the ROTC program and after graduation was commissioned into the Army as a 2^nd Lieutenant in June of 1965.  Tom’s career in the Army spanned 21 years when he retired on June 30, 1986 with the rank of Major.  His service to our country included time at Ft. Knox, Ft. Bliss, Germany, Alabama, Panama (where his son Tom was born), Vietnam, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Germany, Liberia, Somalia, and four stints at the Rock Island Arsenal.  He was a company commander for the 63^rd Combat Support Battalion in Vietnam and 8^th Infantry Division while in Germany.  Tom earned many decorations, medals, badges, and citations during his distinguished career including the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal among many others.

Following Tom’s retirement from the Army he enrolled at St. Ambrose University where he earned his master’s in business administration at the age of 47 which led to a professorship at Ambrose teaching technology management courses for 20 years.  Tom earned his Doctorate at the age of 64 in business administration from St. Ambrose.

Tom was also a man of great faith.  He was a longtime member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church and for the past 16 years he trained altar servers there as well as other parishes where he was a member during his Army career. He trained thousands of kids during his time including his son, Tom.  He was an altar server himself for over 71 years.

Tom was also a member of the American Legion Post 26 and the Military Officer Association.

Survivors include his son, Thomas J. Quinlan III, Kansas City, Missouri, brother, James, sisters-in-law, Maryann Quinlan and Theodora Quinlan, all of New Jersey and many nieces and nephews.