Thomas V. Reilly was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on February 24, 1947, to James A. and Lucille V. Reilly. Susan Gudgeon was born on April 12, 1948, in Evanston, Illinois, to LeRoy and Patricia Gudgeon. Thomas and Susan were married in Deerfield, Illinois, on February 5, 1972.

Thomas graduated from Knox College in 1968 with a B.A. in Economics and from the University of Chicago with an M.B.A. in business in 1971. Immediately after college he joined the US Army Reserves and served with the 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) until 1974.

Susan graduated from St. Mary’s College of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Humanities. They met while Thomas was working as a venture capital investor for First Chicago Corporation and Susan worked for the First National Bank of Chicago, a subsidiary.

Susan later worked at INA Insurance in Hartford, Connecticut. Thomas also worked for Allstate Insurance as a venture capital investor, and for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance and CIGNA as a securities analyst and portfolio manager. Finally, Thomas worked for Putnam Investments in Boston as Chief Investment Officer and then in London, England, as Head of European Business.

Thomas has been a board member of Knox College (head of endowment committee), America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, the Savannah Music Festival, and the Telfair Museums (head of endowment committee). He is also a trustee of the Georgia Historical Society endowment.

He has also served on the finance committees of the United Way of the Coastal Empire, and the Savannah Community Foundation. Thomas is a member of the Oglethorpe Club.

Susan has served on the board of the Savannah Children’s Choir, from which she received the One Small Voice Award, as well as the capital campaign board of Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. Susan also was a member of the Junior League of Boston and the Junior League of London, England, as well as a member of the League of Women Voters in Massachusetts.

Thomas and Susan have a daughter, Katherine Reilly, who is an attorney for the law firm Perkins Coie, headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Thomas and Susan established the Thomas V. and Susan G. Reilly Fund at the Georgia Historical Society in 2016, ensuring that their commitment to Georgia history will continue in perpetuity.