Thomas A. Tasselmyer, a retired air freight executive and avid reader, died Oct. 28 from pancreatic cancer at his Ellicott City home. He was 88.

Thomas Albert Tasselmyer, son of Stephen Tasselmyer, a coal miner, and Grace Tasselmyer, a housekeeper, was born the eighth of nine children in Throop, in the anthracite coal country of eastern Pennsylvania.

After graduating from Throop High School, Tasselmyer moved to Baltimore in 1956.

“His brother-in-law, who had been a World War II pilot and worked as an air traffic controller at the old Friendship Airport, got him a job at the airport working for National Airlines,” said his son, Thomas A. Tasselmyer, chief meteorologist for WBAL-TV, who lives in Hunt Valley.

In 1958, Tasselmyer joined Emery Air Freight, now Emery Worldwide Airlines, where he worked for two decades before joining FedEx. There, he managed offices in Roanoke, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; and later returned to Baltimore, where he oversaw FedEx’s operations at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

“My father had always liked aviation and airplanes, and he was interested in the shipping aspect and getting things around and getting them to a destination on time,” his son said. “There would be flight delays because of the weather, but he did all he could to make sure customers got their packages on time.”

Tasselmyer retired in 1998.

He enjoyed golf, fishing, baseball and following his favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, family members said.

He also enjoyed thoroughbred horse racing at Saratoga, New York, an occasional night at the casino, and “any competitive card or board game with family and friends,” according to a biographical profile of Tasselmyer.

A deeply religious man, he enjoyed reading books about his Roman Catholic faith, a favorite being “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, the British literary scholar and Anglican theologian.

Tasselmyer also liked reading about sports and World War II, with another favorite book being “Random Harvest” by British novelist James Hilton.

He enjoyed celebrating Christmas and Easter in the “Hungarian and Polish traditions,” family members said, with family and friends.

In 1958, he married Evelyn J. Sewar — “literally the girl across the street” — according to the biographical sketch.

The couple settled in Ellicott City, where they lived for 40 years and raised their four children.

Tasselmyer and his wife were avid U.S. and world travelers, visiting Europe, Hawaii, Bermuda, Alaska, Canada and the Panama Canal.

Tasselmyer was a communicant of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, where a Mass of Christian burial was offered on Nov. 4, with interment in St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church Cemetery in Throop.

In addition to his wife of 66 years and son Thomas, Tasselmyer is survived by three daughters, Lynn M. Olson, of Ellicott City, Donna M. Melton, of Rocky River, Ohio, and Judith M. Dehler, of Clayton, North Carolina; a brother, Steven Tasselmyer, of Petaluma, California; 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

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