Thomas Hughes Jarboe passed away August 5, 2026, with his wife and children by his side.
Long before Tom raised a family, became known throughout his community or built a career as an International Trade & Export Compliance Professional, there was a little boy growing up on Rosecroft Road in St. Mary’s City, Maryland, with an entrepreneurial streak, an adventurous spirit, and an unshakable belief that there was always something interesting to do, good people to collaborate with—and quite possibly, a way to turn it into a business.
Rosecroft Road was part of Tom’s family story, built by his grandfather, who was paid in lots of land along St. Inigoes Creek, off the St. Mary’s River. It was there that much of Tom’s story began, surrounded by four loving sisters, and where he would return and build his own life, raising three sons, with his high school sweetheart, Shannon.
Born in Leonardtown, Maryland on July 15, 1969, Tom is survived by his wife, Shannon (Smith) Jarboe; their three sons, Nicholas, Christian (Kaitlin), and Luke; his four sisters, Karen Mumbert (Don), Barbara Brunner (Bob), Kathleen Cantwell (Chris), and Jessica Crandall (Fred); his mother- and father-in-law, Kathleen and Michael Smith; his sister- and brother-in-law, Kelly (Smith) Jarboe and Chris Jarboe; and a large extended family that includes 16 nieces and nephews and eight great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret and Pat Jarboe, and his brother, Christopher Scott Jarboe.
Tom and Shannon were married in June 1990, and would share 36 years of marriage, raise three sons, build a home and multiple businesses. The family they created was not simply one part of their life—it was the central foundation of their life, valued above all else.
As a child, Tom could be found roaming the neighborhood with a wagon, selling rocks. Sometimes his place of business was simply the seat of his Big Wheel. Even then, Tom was ambitious, independent, adventurous, and remarkably unafraid to try something new.
As he grew, so did his ventures. By his early teenage years, Tom purchased a commercial waterman’s license and spent the wee morning hours on the water, running trotlines with his lifelong friend and neighbor, Bryan. There was competition-Mike and Steve had a faster boat-so Tom was on route before 5am to his secret crabbing spot in his 13’ BayBuilt, 4 hp Mercury. While much of the catch was sold to Seafruit on St.George’s Island, Tom took the lead on selling crabs live on WPTX AM Radio Station 920, keeping meticulous business notes along the way. His lively, on-air advertising caught the attention of Patuxent River Naval Air VPs who, on occasion, arrived at the Jarboe home, in a government vehicle, to purchase bushels of crabs they would fly to New Brunswick, Maine, perhaps Tom’s first in-country “export”!
Long before negotiating international business agreements, Tom was learning the virtues his parents were instilling in him: hard work, service, people, and the value of creating an opportunity rather than waiting for one.
Once Tom could drive, he spent his summers working as a mate aboard Scheible’s fishing boat, saving enough to buy his 1972 Ford Torino and, later, candy-apple red 1979 Chevy Camaro. Tom, Mike, Steve, Bryan, and other neighborhood friends frequently gathered on the cul-de-sac with their muscle cars.
It was also during those teenage years that another defining part of Tom’s life began. Tom and Shannon met at St. Mary’s Ryken when they were 16 years old. Shannon was drawn to Tom’s gentle nature and unmistakable head of blonde hair. She quickly discovered he was an adventurous risk-taker, willing to go along with some of her spirited ideas- once driving his Torino over the curb and down the sidewalk past the shops before reaching the road. Tom was voted Senior Class President of their SMR class. Their courting came with a Southern Maryland twist: Shannon’s sister was dating Tom’s cousin—another Jarboe—and the two would eventually marry, a love and friendship spanning 41 years.
Upon graduation from St. Mary’s Ryken (1987), Tom entered the University of Maryland (UMCP) under the PAX 10 Engineering Program. Partway through his studies, Tom felt a call to service and chose a different course, enlisting in the United States Coast Guard (1989).
During his four years of service, Tom served as a Quartermaster Second Class (QM2), E-5, and Shipboard Intelligence Officer, first at Coast Guard Headquarters and later aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ESCAPE (WMEC-6), homeported at Naval Base Charleston, SC. As leader of shipboard navigation teams and a Law Enforcement Boarding Officer, Tom and his shipmates patrolled the Coast Guard’s Seventh District, conducting drug-interdiction operations throughout the waters of the southeastern United States and Caribbean. Humanitarian, maritime migrant interdiction was an unavoidable and harrowing responsibility, rescuing those in peril & when required, returning them to their country. During his service, Tom earned numerous medals and ribbons, including the Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Expert Rifleman Medal, Expert Pistol Shot Medal, and an award bearing one Gold Star.
Toward the end of Tom’s enlistment (1993), another chapter of his life was already beginning. He and Shannon were expecting their first son. At the rank of E-5, he was offered the opportunity to pursue the Officer Candidate path. Tom and Shannon agreed that at the center of their marriage would be the family they intended to raise.Tom concluded his military career and returned to Southern Maryland, the first of many choices they would make with their children and family life firmly at the center.
Tom continued his education at the University of Maryland, earning a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences and a Master of Science in International Commerce. The combination of his education, Coast Guard service, natural entrepreneurial instincts, and understanding of the world beyond Southern Maryland would soon lead him into a career with an extraordinary international reach.
Home remained Rosecroft Road. Tom and Shannon built their home, fittingly naming it “ESCAPE”, beside his parents and siblings along St. Inigoes Creek, and it was primarily there that they raised their three sons, Nick, Christian and Luke. Life along the water meant countless hours fishing, crabbing, boating, wakeboarding, while across the water, the daily activity of USCG provided a fitting backdrop as Tom passed along to his sons, the love and knowledge of the water that shaped his own life.
What Tom taught his sons extended far beyond the water. He taught them how to responsibly handle firearms, build a hunting stand, hunt, camp, tie unique knots, pray, build a fire and shelter, and be capable outdoors. He taught them to snow and water ski, play the guitar, piano and the everyday disciplines of caring for themselves, their belongings, and their home. He raised capable young men who knew how to work, how to solve a problem, how to care for what had been entrusted to them, and how to take care of themselves and others.
Tom thoroughly enjoyed reading to his sons nightly, working their way through countless series, with the Hardy Boys among their favorites, yet the stories they loved the most were tales Tom created, just for them, from his quirky imagination. He showed his family the world beyond their own, taking them to far reaching lands of China and many European countries.
The entrepreneurial instinct that had shown itself so early never left him. In 2002, he founded Technology Security Associates (TSA), a veteran-owned, service-disabled defense contracting firm. Serving as CEO and later Chief Operating Officer, he worked at the intersection of American defense, diplomacy, and international commerce, helping develop agreements between the United States and foreign governments for the procurement and deployment of military weapons. He represented U.S. Government clients in negotiations at the State Department and Department of Defense levels, bringing governments, military organizations, and international companies together to accomplish complex international defense initiatives.
When Tom and his business partner built a Veteran’s Apprentice Program, they opened doors for men and women recently separated from military service to gain experience and begin civilian careers. For Tom, the investment did not end with an internship or a first job – his mentoring lasted, in some cases, decades.
In 2014, as TSA reached 100 employees, Tom departed and established Keiyos, assembling a team of attorneys, freight forwarders, custom brokers, trade specialists and foreign representatives to provide international import and export services.
In 2019, Tom’s expertise brought him to AIRtec, headquartered at St. Mary’s Airport. While serving as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, International Portfolio Manager and Export Compliance Officer, Keiyos was acquired by AIRtec.
In the years that followed, his experience was sought by organizations including FMS Aerospace in Huntsville, Alabama; Bridger Aerospace in Bozeman, Montana; and Navigators Global in Washington, D.C.
The boy whose earliest commerce took place from a wagon on Rosecroft Road would travel extensively, to Europe, South & Central America, Ukraine, Singapore, the Holy Land and more. The remarkable distance between where his ventures began and where they ultimately took him never changed the place he considered home.
In 2024, Tom and his three sons created J4 Aviation, based out of the St. Mary’s Airport—providing fixed-wing aerial surveillance solutions. The company brought together not only the skills of his sons, but so many pieces of Tom’s life: entrepreneurship, aviation, service, problem-solving, and, most importantly, his sons.
J4 represented a new type of venture. Earlier businesses were built around professional services and expertise, this one started with a tangible asset-a Beechcraft Baron 58TC . The real significance was not the aircraft or business model. After starting companies and developing people, his final entrepreneurial adventure was alongside Nick, Christian and Luke. The boy who once sold rocks was building one more business—this time with the three sons around whom he had built his life.
At the foundation of Tom’s life was a deeply held Catholic faith. He trusted in God’s plan and carried with him a steady acceptance that what would be, would be, according to God’s will. That faith became especially evident near the end of his life. In his final month, Tom was diagnosed with advanced liver disease after enduring a traumatic 2024 fall, six subsequent leg surgeries, serious leg infections and prolonged courses of powerful IV antibiotics that took a significant toll on his liver. He faced the uncertainty before him with a remarkable acceptance of God’s plan.
For all that Tom accomplished, the most enduring measure of Tom can be found in the people who were changed because he took an interest in them – the veterans whose careers he helped launch, the community he repeatedly chose to serve, the friendships he carried through decades, and, above all, the family around which he deliberately built his life. He sought immense joy simply being alongside wife and family, with friends, scary movie nights with the friends grew up with, feeding his koi, patiently picking crabs and simply listening.
Perhaps it is fitting, then, that the motto of the military service Tom chose as a young man was Semper Paratus—“Always Ready.” Tom was, in so many ways, always ready. Ready for the next adventure, to build something from nothing. Ready to serve his country and his community, to lend his experience to someone finding their way. Ready to gather family and friends, and when necessary, simply to “just do it.” The boy from Rosecroft Road spent a lifetime ready for whatever came next.
At Tom’s home, the morning and evening Colors USCG Base St. Inigoes can be heard, as can the Valley Lee Volunteer Fire Department siren when a call goes out. Long after Tom’s earthly life has ended, those familiar sounds will remain—reminders of a man who gave so much of himself to his family, his friends, his country, and his community.
Tom believed deeply in service and in showing up when his community needed him.
Valley Lee Volunteer Fire Department / Rescue Squad, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) (1993-1997) El Toro Rescue (1993)
Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) (1994-1995)
Boys Scouts of America, Cubmaster, Troop Master, Den Leader- Pack 561(1999-2004), Troop 303(2005),Troop 1634 (2006-2011)
Hurricane Katrina Relief-a founding member (2005-2006)
Honduras Mission- Living Waters (2001)
Leadership Maryland Graduate (2006), Leadership Maryland Workshops Board Member (2011-2014)
Maryland Economic Development Association (2007-2014, 2020-2024)
Chair of the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce (2008-2009), (2005-2010 member)
Leadership Southern Maryland- a founding member (2008) & former President
St. Mary’s County Businessperson of the Year (2013)
St. Mary’s Ryken Board of Directors (2012-2016)
St. Mary’s County Commissioner, District-1 (2014 to 2018).
Montgomery County Chamber (2015-2026) VIP Program – Trained 354 Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses
Republican Party general election Candidate for President of the St. Mary’s County Commissioners (2026)
SERVICE INFORMATION —
Family and friends will be received for visitation on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Valley Lee Volunteer Fire Department, with prayers beginning at 7p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, September 24, 2026, 11:00 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Lexington Park, Maryland. Private internment.
In lieu of flowers the family requests Memorial contributions to: The Jarboe Scholarship Fund (Aviation and Health Sciences) at St. Mary’s Ryken or St. Michael’s Church, PO Box 429 Ridge, MD 20680.
Condolences to the family may be left at www.brinsfieldsfuneral.com.
Arrangements by Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.
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