Thomas Lee Kirkpatrick of Sahuarita, Ariz. died on Oct. 9 at the age of 79.

Thomas was born on August 12, 1946 in Tucson, Ariz.. Though his life began and ended in the Tucson area, the journey of his life took him far and wide.

After being raised in Safford and Tempe, Ariz., he joined the Navy right out of high school and honorably served in Vietnam.

After returning stateside, he graduated from Arizona State University and became an English teacher, a career that led to him teaching in Hermosillo, Mexico and later becoming a school administrator.

He met his wife, Peggy, in Mallorca, Spain while studying for a master’s in education for International and Overseas Administration. They married in 1990 on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, and then went on to work in international schools in Kigali, Rwanda and Maracaibo, Venezuela before settling in Boston in 1996.

Before retiring, he pursued a second career as a Spanish-language medical interpreter in the Boston area. From 1990 until retirement, Tom and his wife summered on Martha’s Vineyard at their home on East Chop.

Tom’s hobbies and interests helped define who he was. He was a voracious reader of both fiction and nonfiction, and a talented writer of fiction, op-eds and songs. He loved music of many genres and played the guitar, at one point playing bass guitar in bands in a number of venues in Arizona and Colorado. He was a pool lap swimmer from an early age who learned to love ocean swimming and vacationing in tropical locations.

A great sports fan, he loved living in Boston when the curse was reversed for the Red Sox and the Patriots ruled, but his main interest remained with college football and the Sun Devils.

He is survived by his wife Peggy; sisters Kathy Bell and her husband Raymond, Sonja Nelson, and Laina Savage and her husband Jim; his nieces Kim Miller, Erin Maldoff, and Colleen Bell; his nephews Kevin Kirkpatrick, Kelly Kirkpatrick, and Ryan Bell; his sister-in-law Patty Pruden-Lennox; and brothers-in-law Bill Pruden and Robert Pruden along with all of their extended families.

A service will take place at the Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Marana, Ariz. on Dec. 11 at noon.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org) or the East Chop Beach Club (PO Box 333, Oak Bluffs MA. 02557)