ALTAMONT — Timothy Gaige, a devoted father and loyal friend, died on Sunday, June 11, 2017. He was 37.

Timothy Gaige was admitted to the Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia on May 16 with septic shock and pneumonia, followed by multiple organ failure and a brain hemorrhage. A week into his stay in the Intensive Care Unit, he was diagnosed with acute splenic B cell lymphoma.

“He put up a valiant fight,” his family wrote in a tribute.

Timothy Gaige grew up in Altamont, where he played soccer and worked his way up to be an Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle Scout project, he hosted a seminar to teach people how to do CPR, said his father, James Gaige.

“Tim was very focused on anything he did,” he said, adding that his son was a very good student who fixated early on going to Boston University.

After graduating from Guilderland High School, that’s where he went to college, earning a bachelor’s degree in computer systems engineering.

He lived on the same floor in the dorms as the woman who, years later, would become his wife, MaryBeth Gaige.

He later went on to get a master’s degree in systems engineering from The George Washington University.

The pair had, independently of each other, moved to Virginia and begun working at Lockheed Martin.

They married in 2010 and welcomed three children into their home — Annabelle, 5; Rosemarie, 4; and Declan, 10 months.

“He was very dedicated as a father,” said MaryBeth Gaige.

“It was clearly something he always wanted,” she said of having a family. “He looked up to his own father.”

Although he was valued by his colleagues and managers at work, Timothy Gaige decided to cut down to 30 hours a week at work so that he could get his daughter off the school bus in the afternoon and spend more time with his children.

“It was just more important to him to have that time with his kids,” she said.

The family came up with themed dinners for each day of the week — Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Waffle Wednesdays, Throwback Thursdays, and pizza on Friday.

“He owned Waffle Wednesdays,” said MaryBeth Gaige. He could turn any kind of food into a waffle.

Timothy Gaige also spent a lot of time watching sports — all kinds of sports. He was a fan of the New York Yankees, the Buffalo Sabres and Bills, the BU Terriers, DC United, and Arsenal FC.

But, he’d watch all sports, MaryBeth Gaige said, “He would watch curling in the Olympics.” He’d sometimes turn the living room into a multi-screen theater for March Madness, but not fill out a bracket — he just appreciated the sport, she said.

Timothy Gaige was very outgoing, very friendly, said his father.

“I call him a rule follower because he was,” said his wife. “He wouldn’t go over the speed limit, but, he was always fun.”

More than anything, though, he had integrity, she said.

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Timothy Gaige is survived by his wife, MaryBeth Gaige, and his children, Annabelle, Rosemarie, and Declan. He is also survived by his father, James A. Gaige and and his wife, Christina Gaige, and his mother Kathleen A. (née Ford) Gaige, and his brother, Lucas M. Gaige. He is also survived by many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held in Northern Virginia. Follow www.fmfh.com for details, which will be updated as soon as they are available.

The Gaige family thanks the staff at the INOVA Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute for their exceptional care and attention.

Memorial contributions may be made to Katie’s Krusaders, which was always close to Tim’s heart (http://katieskrusaders.com/make-a-donation/); the Inova Health foundation (https://foundation.inova.org/donate-now); or www.youcaring.com/timgaige to support the Gaige children.