Thomas Fanning

Thomas Guy Fanning died on March 25, 2020.  He was born in Phoenix, AZ to Frances (nee Morrison) and Thomas Earl Fanning, but grew up in the family home town Kenosha, WI.

He was the first in his family to go to college and received BS (1965) and Ph.D. degrees (1970) in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin.  He spent 5 years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cologne, where he met his future wife Gisela Heidecker.  The couple moved to Davis, CA and in 1984 to Maryland. His research at the University of California, National Cancer Institute and finally at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, centered on retroviruses and the 1918 influenza virus. His work in the latter project was recognized with several scientific prizes.

The couple first lived in Gaithersburg and moved to Frederick in 2004.  Tom was a man with a unique sense of humor, and made everyone laugh. He had a tremendous curiosity about everything and was an insatiable reader evidenced by the thousands of books in his library. Tom was knowledgeable about everything from Italian cinema to brain development and learning. He loved music and had a vast collection of classical, opera, jazz and rock CDs.  He was a life-long fan of his home football teams, the Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers.

He is survived by his wife Gisela, his sister Mary Foust of Kenosha, in-law family in Germany and many dear friends and god children. A memorial is planned at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Society for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at AAAS Philanthropy Office, 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005.