Tom Kane, 85, of Honesdale, PA died unexpectedly on Sunday, August 9, 2015 and leaves a legacy of a life fully lived.

Born in Philadelphia on December 24, 1929, Tom grew up during the Great Depression in an Irish Roman Catholic family. After high school, he entered the seminary and became a Roman Catholic priest. During his 10 years in the priesthood, he taught English at a prep school in Brooklyn, taught theology, and was a counselor at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. He left the priesthood after an intense interior crisis with the ruling elite of the church, and became an activist. His journey is chronicled in his memoir “Good Church, Bad Church: One Priest’s Indictment of the Vatican.”

Tom is survived by his son Christopher Kane and wife Kimberly, their children Madelaine and Aidan, his daughter Emily Sartori and her husband Jon, their son Nicholas, and his partner Barbara Lewis.

After working for the New York City Board of Education, acting as an artist’s rep and computer salesman, Tom moved to Sullivan County, NY, where he became a journalist, spending 13 years as a reporter for The River Reporter in Narrowsburg. He also had a weekly spot on WJFF public radio called “Life In These Parts” in which he depicted what life was like in the beautiful Upper Delaware River valley he’d come to love.

Music was always a part of his life. Tom had a great tenor voice and an outstanding stage presence, and sang numerous leading roles in classic operas at the Delaware Valley Opera Company in Narrowsburg, during the 1990s.

Tom was the author of a novel, “The Mark of Gnosis,” a murder mystery set in a Trappist Abbey in Wyoming, as well as his memoir. He continued to write about issues relating to the Catholic Church and human rights issues until the day of his death.

Tom was a man of great energy and passion for the causes he espoused. He had a sharp and inquiring mind, a flair for interviewing people, and a great interest in understanding the Why of everything. His charm and intelligence attracted a lively group of friends and acquaintances to him, which was clearly demonstrated by the large turnout at the “Show of Appreciation” held for him in 2009 in honor of his 80th birthday.

Tom had heartily embraced his life in Honesdale with Barbara, and became a vital and active part of the community, participating in such initiatives as Transition Honesdale, Rachel’s Challenge, and “Aging in Community.” Recently he volunteered at Wayne Memorial Hospital, and was a regular at Branko’s Patisserie.

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at a time to be determined by his family, and will be open to all who wish to remember and honor him.