Obituary of Paul Thomas Twohig

 Paul Thomas Twohig, loving husband, lifelong learner and charitable donor, died July 22, 2023 in Alexandria, Virginia from complications due to scoliosis and pneumonia. He was 80.

Paul was born March 27, 1943 while his father was stationed there in Houlton, Maine. He grew up in Brighton, Massachusetts where his Irish immigrant parents settled after World War II to be near family who still spoke Gaelic learned on an island off Ireland’s western coast. As a boy, Paul loved to take a streetcar to the Boston Red Sox games which only cost a quarter. Much later in graduate school, Paul shared his love of the game by starting a coed softball team of his fellow graduate students which competed in city league games.

Paul earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Cincinnati and worked for the DuPont Company near Nashville, Tennessee. While there, his engineering team received a patent. Recognizing his interest in human thought and behavior, Paul changed fields to pursue a PhD in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville. At UVA he met his wife of 43 years, Alice Lynn Ryssman. Moving with her and two Shelties to Northern Virginia in 1983, Paul was a Army Research Institute (ARI) Research Psychologist focused on leadership. Paul later joined the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and retired in 2015.

Paul and his wife enjoyed many of Washington DC’s unique cultural opportunities, such as silent movies at the Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art lectures. They also loved traveling in Europe to experience firsthand the historical sites and art about which Paul read extensively. Everyone who knew Paul admired his wit and charm, his intellectual curiosity, and his kindness and generosity.

In addition to his wife, he leaves a sister Ann Marie (Nancy); Nancy’s daughters Erin and Christine; best friends Don, Marianne, Bill and Patsy; he was predeceased in February by his brother Kevin. Family and friends will celebrate Paul’s life in Framingham, MA. Donations in his memory can be made to the National Scoliosis Foundation