Thomas Dana

Thomas Finlay Dana of Gulfport, MS, died peacefully on March 1, 2020 after a long assault by Parkinson's disease.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Caleb Henry Dana and Alice Finlay Dana; and by his wife and partner, Sue Ann Dana.

He is survived by his daughter, Genya Vera Dana (Daniel McConville); and by his four siblings, Robert Pelham Dana, Alyce Archer Dana, Caleb Henry Dana, Jr., and Charles Lowery Dana.

Tom was a determined athlete from an early age, playing baseball and football from grade school through high school. After one year at Mississippi State University, he transferred to Memphis State University on a gymnastics scholarship. While pursuing a doctorate in marine biology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, where he conducted research on coral reefs, he became an accomplished surfer.

At the same time he developed an interest in growing vegetables and fruit and was joined in this by Sue Ann. After obtaining his Ph.D., he and Sue Ann moved to southern Mississippi, where land was affordable, to begin an organic farm on 40 acres near Poplarville. The success of their endeavor owed much to Tom's scientific background that enabled them to coax the poor soils of the coastal plain into productivity. Tom and Sue Ann were pioneers in organic farming in Mississippi, and they became well known among the early devotees of organically-grown produce along the Gulf Coast, Jackson, and New Orleans. Their small farm, nestled against DeSoto National Forest land, became a destination for the families of the scattered siblings and cousins, especially for the annual Christmas soccer games in the hayfield.

We mourn the passing of Tommy, as he was known to us, but we take solace in our memories of his quiet determination to be a force for good in his life.

A memorial service will be announced shortly.