Thomas Lynn (Tom) Van Etten passed away on September 7,  2024   while attempting a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, something he had wanted to do for years. Tom had completed nearly 1,500 miles at the time of his death on the Trail in Botetourt County, Virgina. Tom was born on September 25, 1956 in Coudersport, Pennsylvania to Lynn and Vivian Van Etten.

His family moved to the Niagara Falls area from Pennsylvania in 1960. He graduated from Niagara-Wheatfield High School in 1974 and went on to get a BS degree in Physics from the University at Albany in 1978 and a MS degree in Nuclear Engineering from The Ohio State University in 1981. He worked as an engineer for the Knolls Laboratory (part of the Naval Nuclear Laboratory) from 1981 to 2023 when he retired after 4o+ years of service. Over 30 of those years were in the reactor safety organization, the last 11 in the position of Advisor  Engineer. Tom married Eileen Carbery in June of 1985 and they became parents in 2004 to their daughter, Alice, at a stage in life when most are typically thinking more about future retirement than starting a family. While he had strong interests in many areas such as history, astronomy, and of course, backpacking, he took the most joy from being the proud dad to his daughter, Alice.

Tom is survived by his wife Eileen of almost 40 years, his daughter Alice, his mother Vivian (Ulysses Pa), brother David (Bridget) (Forney Texas), sister Lynda (Ulysses Pa) , in-laws and nephews. He also leaves behind a number of valued friends over the years. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following organizations in his memory: March for Babies; American Hiking Society;  Adirondack Mountain Club; Appalachian    Mountain Club; or American Battlefield Trust.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a visitation at The Dufresne & Cavanaugh Funeral Home, Latham, NY on Thursday, September 19, 2024 from  3:00 to 4:00 PM followed immediately by a memorial service at 4:00 PM.