By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald

Thomas “Tom” Paul Papandrew, who brought a life’s worth of experience as an architect, planner and manager to the Diocese of Honolulu as a pivotal figure in the emerging diocesan strategic planning process, died on May 16 in Honolulu after a struggle with cancer. He was 65.

Papandrew was the diocesan Director of Planning, a co-chairman of the Implementation Commission of the Diocesan Road Map for Pastoral Program, and Facility Needs: 2008-2013, and chairman of the Diocesan Land Asset Management and Acquisition Committee.

Bishop Larry Silva said that his strategic plan for the diocese would have been impossible without Papandrew’s contribution.

“Many people have complimented me on our diocesan plan “Road Map for Our Mission,” the bishop said. “Such a plan would not have been possible without the vision and expertise of Tom Papandrew, among others.”

“Tom was a good listener who wanted to include as many people as possible in formulating the plan,” the bishop said. “He worked very hard to put the thousands of pieces of input together into a coherent plan. He did all this with great faith and love for the people of Hawaii.”

“I thank God for him, and pray that he will now be richly rewarded for his goodness,” he said.

Vicar general Father Marc R. Alexander, who worked hand-in-hand with Papandrew in the planning process, said he lost his best friend.

“He brought so much skill and joy to what he was doing, it was fun to work with him,” Father Alexander said. “He was such a good friend; he was my best friend. I learned so much from him. He brought out the best in people.”

Father Alexander said that Papandrew embodied a fruitful collaboration between priest and laity.

“He was very grounded,” he said. “He reminded me, and all of us working at the parish level, to listen to the people, to the sense of the faithful.”

“Tom was an incredible man of faith and commitment to the church,” Father Alexander said. “He was a team player; people liked being around him. And he was always open to learning new things. He was incredibly curious about theology, about how the church worked.”

His death is a “tremendous loss for us,” he said.

Papandrew was born in Erie, Pa. He came to Oahu in 1968 and joined the architectural firm of Vladimir Ossipoff as an architect and landscape architect. In 1970, he moved to Belt Collins, a firm of planners, engineers and landscape architects, and served there for 33 years, the last 15 as the company’s president and chairman.

At Belt Collins, Papandrew worked in countries throughout Asia and was a much-sought after consultant in the area of national and international disaster relief. He was the national president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, and participated in a recovery summit following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and assisted in the American gulf states following Hurricane Katrina.

Belt Collins under Papandrew’s leadership prepared a demographic study of the Diocese of Honolulu in 1991 for Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario.

He and his wife Willa have been long time parishioners at St. Pius X Church in Manoa where they were married more than 35 years ago. After he retired, Papandrew was hired in 2003 as the administrator both of St. Pius X and Sacred Heart Parish, Punahou, together known as the Manoa-Punahou Catholic Community.

There he helped plan and complete the $2.4 million renovation of Sacred Heart Church and grounds.

In 2006, Bishop Larry Silva appointed Papandrew as the diocesan Director of Planning. With vicar general Father Marc R. Alexander, he spent more than a year collecting and reviewing data from every Hawaii parish in preparation for the bishop’s launch this year of his strategic planning process, officially called “Witness to Jesus: Diocesan Road Map for Pastoral Program, and Facility Needs: 2008-2013.”

In April, the bishop named Papandrew a co-chairman of the Implementation Commission of the Diocesan Road Map, and chairman of the Diocesan Land Asset Management and Acquisition Committee.

Bishop Silva presided at his funeral May 23 at St. Pius X Parish in Manoa.

Papandrew is survived by his wife Willa, his son David, daughter Tara, two grandchildren, his sisters Patricia Yee and Constance Reale, and his brother David.