Thomas R. Dunham of North Haven, CT, passed away on August 30, 2017 at the age of 89 surrounded by his family. Tom is survived by his wife, Jean; daughters Pamela of Piedmont CA, and Kathee of Arlee, Montana, along with grandchildren Mason Good and Olive Werby. His brother, Dwight Dunham pre-deceased him as did his sister Elaine Knowles. He was a beloved uncle to many nieces and nephews, as well as a dear father-in-law to David and Doug. Tom was born in Pittsburgh, PA and grew up in Pelham, NY. After serving in the Army Transportation Corp during the Korean conflict, he graduated from Hobart College and did graduate work at NYU Graduate School of Business Administration. Tom had a long and dedicated career in the area of metallurgy. Prior to retirement, he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Schwarzkopf Technologies of Franklin, MA and an active member of the American Society of Materials, specializing in refractory metals. Tom was also a member of the Economic Development Commission of North Haven for 35 years. Tom and Jean were married for 60 years and raised their family in their North Haven community, residing there for 45 years. He was an active and appreciated neighbor, fondly remembered as “the Mayor of Millbrook”. The family enjoyed many summers by the water in Madison, CT, where Tom enjoyed activities such as cribbage, fishing, and sharing his catch of the day. Tom was a fine and compassionate man and his love for his family was never ending. His kind and generous spirit, humor, and wonderful good nature will be deeply missed and celebrated by all who knew him for many years to come.
In lieu of flowers please consider Connecticut Hospice of Branford, CT. The memorial service for Tom will be on Saturday November 11th at 1pm, at Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven, CT
Having met Jean in California in the early 50’s–& her marriage to Tom of 60 plus years–the DUNHAM family has been my family for many years.
I will forever remember my 2 week vacations spent @ Madison, CT & Time Shares spent with the family.
Tom was the greatest!!! So giving..always sharing the good & sometimes difficult times in our lives.
He always had a word of love when anyone needed a word of comfort.
Tom & I especially enjoyed the 1st Saturday in May–Kentucky Derby Day–We would be on the phone going over our “no currency invested” bets of the races.
Tom will be dearly missed by me & many.
Jean, Kathee & Pamela will always be my “other” family.
A MOMENT LASTS BUT A SECOND, BUT A MEMORY LIVES FOREVER.
I love you, Tom……..Thanks for the good times.
Nez…aka…aunt nez
We shall all miss Tom’s wonderful smile, his forever positive attitude and his dedicated friendship. Tom was the embodiment of everything that is good about the human spirit.
Those of us that were fortunate to have Tom as our friend know that he made the world a far better place. He quite simply enriched the lives of those that knew him and that quality is rare.
It was an honor to have had Tom as our friend,
Jim & Linda
Sad to hear of Tom’s passing. He was a great guy to work with and he will be missed.