William 'Tom' T. Avery, 70

LEWES - William "Tom" T. Avery, of Lewes, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 23, 2009, at Delaware Hospice Center in Milford, surrounded by his family. He was 70. He was born Oct. 3, 1938, in Washington, D.C., son of the late Robert M. and Evelyn (Aney) Avery. Mr. Avery was a proud police officer of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., for 20 years, retiring in 1981 as a Sergeant. In 1998, he and his wife moved from Laurel, Md., to Lewes where he enjoyed crab feasts, gardening and the Washington Redskins. He served with the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1962. He was a member of Am Vets in Long Neck, and a member of the Elks in Maryland and in Lewes. Mr. Avery is survived by his wife of 21 years, Patricia M. (Hanyok) Avery; two daughters, Christine Carol LoBiondo and her husband Richard of Collegeville, Pa., and Kelly Rose Avery of Lewes; three sons, Thomas Mitchell Avery and his wife Denise of Frisco, Texas, Gregory Thomas Avery and his wife Tonya of Double Oak, Texas, and Zachary Robert Avery of Lewes; seven grandchildren, Kimberly, Matthew, Nicole, Abigayle, Austin, Gabrielle and Sydney; two sisters, Nancy C. Darling and her husband Lewis of Dawsonville, Ga., and Judith E. Johnson and her husband Clifford of Locust Grove, Va. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Robert H. Avery. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 28, at Conley's United Methodist Church, 22150 Robinsonville Road, Lewes. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Dagsboro. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 27, at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Highway, Lewes. (www.parsellfuneralhomes.com) In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to Delaware Hospice Center, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963; or to Lewes Fire Department, Inc., P.O. Box 225, Lewes, DE 19958.