Kathryn "Katy" Colleen Tomlinson

KATHRYN “KATY” COLLEEN TOMLINSON

Katy was born in July 1980 to Margie Nieman and grew up in Bowie, MD. She graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt and went on to graduate from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology. (GO NOLES!)

Katy joined the United States Army and graduated from Basic Combat Training in 2004. She then attended the prestigious Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center in Monterey, CA and Advanced Individual Training at Goodfellow AFB to become a Signals Intelligence Analyst for the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps. She excelled in this role, eventually rising to the rank of Sergeant First Class and earned the respect and admiration of officers, peers, and subordinates alike. Katy was selected to attend the Warrant Officer Candidate School and went on to commission as a Signals Intelligence Warrant Officer. In this role she became a true expert in her field and helped shape Department of Defense Intelligence strategies and policies.

During her time in the US Army, Katy was stationed in the Republic of South Korea, Hawaii, California, Arizona, and Texas. She deployed multiple times overseas in support of ongoing contingency operations during the Global War on Terror.  She earned many awards, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (awarded twice), the Army’s Meritorious Service Medal (awarded twice), the Joint Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. She was also awarded the prestigious Spy Glass Award in 2024. She retired from the Army as CW3 “Chief” Tomlinson after more than 20 years of service to the nation.

Katy was an expert in her trade craft and loved her professional field, but her true passions lay outside the Army. She loved traveling and exploring new places. She loved trying new foods and exploring the cultures that created them. Katy had a wonderful sense of humor and had a beautiful smile that would brighten any room. She loved reading all kinds of books from cookbooks to classics to murder-mysteries. She enjoyed watching movies and eating warm popcorn. Katy had a deep passion for cooking, especially Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas cookies. Everything she touched she improved, and she enriched the lives of those close to her.

She is survived by her husband and best friend of 19 years, MAJ Michael B. Tomlinson and her stepdaughter Caroline, who both will miss her beyond measure. She is also survived by her mother and father, Margie and Stephen Smith, her grandmother, Kathi Nieman, her brother Jeff and his wife Hannah, their son Roran along with many aunts, uncles, cousins and loyal friends.

Her Celebration of Life will be held at 2pm on Saturday, October 5th, 2024. For details, please contact her mother, Margie. In lieu of flowers, Katy would have preferred donation made in her name (CW3 Katy Tomlinson) to the Wounded Warrior Project to help her fellow Soldiers wounded overseas.