Obituary of Thomas R. McElligott

Thomas Raymund McElligott, who was born in Sidney, NY on October 29, 1951, and had lived there for much of his life, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, January 12 at home in nearby Unadilla, NY, where he had resided since losing his house in the Village of Sidney in the aftermath of the Flood of 2011. A skilled farmer of natural medicinals, and a talented artist, Tom was widely known for his keen wit and quirky sense of humor, an estimable intelligence, his unquenchable fighting spirit, and a gigantic heart manifesting in frequent acts of extreme generosity and kindness. Employed at Amphenol Corporation for three decades, and having served for a time as an IAM Union Steward there, his true life vocation was expressed in his devotion to the "sweet science". He was a founding member of the East Guilford Boxing Associates, fought Golden Gloves bouts as a lightweight, then a welterweight, turned pro for awhile, then, hanging up his own gloves, mentored generations of aspiring young pugilists in the Sidney/Bainbridge area. The beloved eldest son of the late Raymund Joseph McElligott, he is survived by his mother Jeanne Galloway McElligott, residing in Norwich, NY, his daughters Ryann McElligott (Ted) of Boston, MA, Kelly McElligott of Binghamton, NY, and Colleen McElligott of Sidney Center, NY, as well as grandchildren Adelynn Salisbury of Binghamton, and Ezra Nemtzow of Boston. He also leaves behind his younger siblings Jeanne Whitaker of Sidney, Mark McElligott (Karen) of Corvallis, OR, Mary Miley (Keith) of Sidney, and Patrick McElligott of Guilford, NY, several aunts and uncles, and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews scattered across the breadth of the United States. Out of respect for and in accordance with the decedent's strongly expressed will that any public display be avoided upon his death, there will be no funeral. His family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations in Tom's memory be made to the Delaware Valley Humane Society, 17420 County Highway 23, Sidney, NY 13838.