Thomas James Beers (Age 74)
Memorial service info
Tom Beers of Arlington, Va., died on May 20 after succumbing to complications related to metastatic kidney cancer. He was 74.
Tom will be remembered by many, but especially his life partner of 33 years, The Honorable Todd M. Harper, and his sister, Mary Anne Beers of Andover, Minn. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Tom graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Minnesota, where he led Vietnam War protests. After earning a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and working in private practice, Tom joined the Federal Communications Commission in 1988. He led the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau’s policy division for more than a decade.
Tom retired after 27 years of public service. For his accomplishments, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International recognized Tom with its 2016 Leadership in Regulatory Service Award.
Tom will be remembered as a true romantic, raconteur, and Renaissance man. He was equally at home on the gun range as he was at a Proust book club discussion. Tom wrote poetry, spoke German and Italian, and loved Italy, strong coffee, good bourbon, and exotic teas. A long-time member of Augustana Lutheran Church in D.C., he had a deep interest in religion.
Tom was an activist for the LGBTQ+ movement and authored a seminal paper at Georgetown on marriage equality. During the AIDS crisis, Tom marched in 1987 and 1993 for increased funding for HIV prevention and cures. When others scorned those suffering from the visible signs of AIDS, Tom demonstrated compassion and care, as a Christian should.
Tom also had an uncanny ability for interacting with celebrities, including Sophia Loren, who taught him how to better pronounce Italian vowels by holding his mouth. Some other celebrity encounters included Elizabeth Taylor, Romano Mussolini, Averell Harriman, and Eartha Kitt.
A visitation will be held Friday, May 30, from 4-7 p.m., at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA. Services will be held on Saturday, May 31, with a musical prelude at 10:30 a.m. and high mass starting at 11 a.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church, 2100 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., followed by a reception. Church services will be livestreamed at https://www.augustanadc.org/worship.
Instead of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the Indiana University Lilly Library of Rare Books, and the D.C. Bar Association’s Pro Bono Center, all charities important to Tom.
The following memorial events are planned.
Visitation
Friday, May 30, 2025 from 4 pm-7 pm
Murphy Funeral Home
4510 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia, 22203
Celebration of Life
Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 10:30 am-1 pm
Augustana Lutheran Church
2100 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
