Thomas Francis McInerney was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 7, 1933, the son of James Leo McInerney and Frances R. Voegtly McInerney. Thomas grew up in Sheraden, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh, along with four brothers and one sister. His father, who was a hero of WWI, returned to Pittsburgh and joined the police department there. He died at age 51, having been exposed to mustard gas during the war and developed health problems. Tom's mother had to go to work to support the family. As a result, several of the children including Tom then attended St. Xavier's elementary boarding school in Latrobe, PA. Tom graduated from Central Catholic High School (1951) in Pittsburgh, PA. He joined the U.S.    Navy (Aug. 1951-July 1955), and attended the Machinists Mate School in Great Lakes, Illinois, followed with service on the destroyer USS Leonard F. Mason which received Three Battle Stars for her Korean War Service. Tom received the Korean War Service Medal on the 50t ^h anniversary of the Korean War. Tom was a member of the Naval Reserve, and attended WSU from 1957-1959 on the. G.I. Bill. Tom worked for and retired from Aluminum Supply Company in Spokane Valley as a machinist. He was a member of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. Tom developed Alzheimers and lived the last 7 years of his life in Safari Adult Family Home where he became part of the family receiving excellent, compassionate care from Serah and Adam. He died there on December 2, 2020 at 3 AM with Serah attending him through the night.

Tom is survived by his first wife, Beverly Bredesen, son Daniel(Lucy),grandson Glen, son-in-law Jim Rutter, granddaughter Jamie(Mitch)Davis, grandson Aaron(Sam)Rutter, daughter Christine McInerney Fry(Paul), grandsons Jordan and Josh Fry, granddaughter Rachel Fry; second wife Rosemary(Shaw)Mclnerney, son Major James P. McInerney(USAF); brothers Fr. Blaise Mclnerney and William (Jeri) McInerney, numerous nieces.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Patrick and Charlie (Delia) McInerney, sister Helen McInerney, daughter Theresa McInerney Rutter, nephew Patrick McInerney.

Tom loved God and his family above all. He always had a deep compassion for the underdog, and often went out of his way to acknowledge and respect anyone he felt wasn't fairly treated by society. Children were especially important to Tom, and he couldn't understand why anyone would mistreat a child. His love for people was evident in his many friendships at work. Also, he enjoyed the friendship of many fine people he met through his membership in the Liberty Lake and MeadowWood Golf Men's Clubs and the many hours he spent golfing. NFL football was another one of Tom's passions which was shared by his good friend and "commissioner" Gary Farrell and his wife Jeanette and the many members of the Farrell and Johnson families and friends. Filling out the weekly pick sheet was a regular routine throughout the NFL season. Many hours were spent studying the stats of each team to give one confidence they had picked the winning teams.

Tom loved to cook, and soups were his specialty. For his delicious chicken noodle soup he used his mother's secret ingredient — a can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup. Split pea with ham and lima bean soup were two he especially enjoyed preparing. He is also noted for his deviled egg recipe. Holidays were always a treat when Tom was the chef. A special thank you to Adam and Serah for all their dedication caring for Tom.