BLACKSBURG - Thomas Orr Sitz, age 65, of Blacksburg, Va., died Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010 at Montgomery Regional Hospital. He was born in Newport, R.I., Dec. 9, 1944 to the late John Harry and Margaret McCullough Sitz. Dr. Sitz recently retired from Virginia Tech and was granted Professor Emeritus. He was associate professor of biochemistry and anaerobic microbiology in the College of Agriculture and Life Science, and director of premedical studies. He was the recipient of the Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising in 1982. Dr. Sitz was president of the Virginia Academy of Science in 1995 until 1996. He received a B.S. in Biology from Virginia Tech in 1967 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1971. Dr. Sitz received a prestigious post-doctoral appointment at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston under Dr. Harris Busch and was later appointed to a faculty position from 1971 until 1975. He then was a member of the Chemistry Department at Old Dominion University in Norfolk where he continued his research from 1975 to 1982. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Crabtree Sitz of Blacksburg; daughter and son-in-law, Molly Sitz Moore and husband Rear Admiral Scott P. Moore of Virginia Beach; sisters, Lucy Aginiga of Chula Vista, Calif., Margaret Cullifer of Hatteras, N.C.; brother, John Sitz of Ocracoke, N.C.; grandchildren, Rachel Laughlin Moore, Sarah Buckley Moore, Thomas Dewey Moore IV. The family wishes to thank Dr. Harry McCoy, Dr. David Stoeckle, Dr. Alex Tan, Dr. Edwin Wilder, the nurses and staff at Montgomery Regional Hospital as well as family, friends and the Issac Walton League for their care and support. Memorial services will be conducted Saturday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m. in the Blacksburg United Methodist Church with the Reverend Reggie Tuck officiating. The family will receive friends from 7 p.m. to 8:30 pm Friday evening at the McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, SW Blacksburg, Va.

Published in The Virginian Pilot on September 29, 2010