Timothy John Desmond

Timothy John Desmond was many things: Marine sergeant, mechanic, musician, philosopher, friend, father, grandfather. Today we mourn all of them. Our beloved Tim, or “Des” as his beloved late wife called him, died of heart failure in Tulsa, OK, on Monday, January 19, 2026. He was 81.

Born April 15, 1944, to Walter Desmond, Sr. and Mary Eileen Desmond (Gaffney) in Woburn, MA, Tim was raised in the Boston area as well as New Hampshire, dropping out of school at age 17 to join the U.S. Marine Corps. After serving in Iwakuni, Japan, he was stationed in San Diego, CA, where he soon met and married Marjorie K. Connelly, an immigrant from Scotland. They had seven children.

He would continue his schooling at San Diego City College, eventually earning the certifications that helped him launch a successful career in commercial refrigeration and controls. Tim was also a devout Catholic active in his church community; he and Marjorie played guitar and sang in the choir at Santa Sophia Catholic Church in Spring Valley, CA, for many years. Perhaps fittingly, Tim collapsed last Sunday after singing a solo with the choir at St. Monica Catholic Church in Tulsa, OK, spending his last waking moments in the presence of Christ and the love of his adopted community.

At the time of his death, he was a dedicated volunteer at Porta Caeli House hospice in Tulsa, where he often sat in prayer with the families of the dying. He was proud of the work he did there and the opportunity to serve was deeply meaningful to him.

He is predeceased by his parents, his wife Marjorie (1942-2005), his sons Timothy E. Desmond (1968-1989) and Edward B. Desmond (1980) and his granddaughter Heather V. Hoppe (1989-1999). He is survived by his brother Walter; his daughters Frances and Deirdre; his sons Kevin, Declan and Liam; and his eight grandchildren: Emma, Deirdre, Angelina, Timothy, Devon, Wyatt, Maeve and Leona.

Widely read in history and philosophy, Tim was a master conversationalist, a deep thinker and a wit who single-handedly invented the Dad Joke (sorry, we cannot provide proof at this time). We will miss him profoundly and continue to feel his warmth, wisdom, humor and love.

A Rosary will be held 6:00 pm, Monday, January 26, 2026, at the Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home Chapel.

A funeral mass will be held 10:00 am, Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at St. Augustine Catholic Church, located at 1720 E. Apache St. in Tulsa, OK. Burial will take place at 2:30 pm, Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at the Fort Gibson National Cemetery.