February 1, 1955 NYC - April 7, 2008 Marblehead, MA
Founder of Rockingham Regional Ambulance
E Thorn Mead III. 53, of Marblehead, MA, and formally Hanover, NH, died on April 7th of a rampant Melanoma diagnosed in January. He was a devoted and always proud father of daughters Meredith (Columbia College, NY) and Morgan (Marblehead High). He loved most time spent coaching and cheering them on, or cherished times with them on any vessel. Gifted with almost anything mechanical he was happiest messing about in boats and making things work when the rest of us couldn’t.
With his father, the late Edgar T. Mead, prolific author and historian on the subject of steam-era trains, he shared a life-long passion for railroads. His career in public service at state and local levels, included service as the assistant secretary of transportation policy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the Weld administration. He also pursued entrepreneurial ventures in manufacturing and retail distribution and sales. He was the founder, in 1976, of Rockingham Regional Ambulance in Exeter and now Nashua, NH.
He served on the board of The Boston Harbor Association, the Portland (ME) Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Maine Museum of Industrial Technology and Transportation and through high school proudly served as a volunteer member of the Hanover (NH)Fire Department. He was a graduate of Northeastern University, the University of Massachusetts; where he held a Master’s in Public Affairs and Hanover (NH) High School. He attended the Choate School, Wallingford, CT and St. Bernards School, NYC.
He is survived by his daughters Meredith S. and Morgan T. Mead of Marblehead, his mother, Emily Mead of Etna, NH, his sister, Mary Mead of Warner, NH, his brother, Malcolm Mead of Harding, NJ, nephews Emerson, Edgar, Malcolm and Drake, his partner Juliet Faithful and her sons Luca and Raphael of Cambridge, MA and many close and devoted friends all of whom will miss him and his wit dearly.
A memorial service was held at St. Michael‘s Episcopal Church in Marblehead, MA, Saturday, April 12, at 10:30 Burial will be at Mount Auburn, Cambridge, MA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to honor Thorn’s fondness for children and sailing to support the Children’s Island Camp Sailing Program at the YMCA 91 Pleasant St., Marblehead, MA 01945.
My brother, much like my father, was an interesting man, a true gentlemen. He had a sense of humor that everyone he knew thoroughly enjoyed. I know he would be amused at the thought of my writing and delivering his eulogy. I can see him sitting in his black leather chair in heaven waiting to hear this one.
I was born twelve years after my brother. He left the house, more or less, when I was six years old. Over the last many weeks as I have reflected on my life with Thorn I can honestly say that the fondest memories of my childhood revolve around my times with him.
In our house on Clement Road in Hanover, Thorn’s bedroom was just beyond mine. He had to walk through my room to get to his. If you think about it -- Thorn had a toddler for a chaperone in high school. As a volunteer with the Hanover Fire Department he had an emergency scanner in his bedroom and many were the nights when I clearly remember him bolting through my room at three AM. Moments later his Chevy pickup would roar to life and with lights and siren howling he would careen out the driveway on his way to help whoever was in need. His classmate and fellow volunteer Bob Bailey told us recently that Thorn wrote in his yearbook-- instead of the usual “good luck in life” that he hoped the town would catch on fire over the summer so they could roll out every piece of fire equipment in the department-- which he then listed!!
I remember boating on the Connecticut River, fooling around with the steam engine we had in our back yard, visiting with him at Rockingham Regional Ambulance at that converted gas station in Exeter, then on to the new HQ in Nashua as his business flourished. These times were not just about having fun with my brother, being around Thorn was such an incredible learning experience. During my childhood I thought there was nothing my brother could not do.
Ya know, Thorn was not always sure of his strengths, or he was sure of them but didn’t feel that anyone else was fully aware of them except his close family and friends -- many of you are here today and I Thank you for coming.
You can’t talk about Thorn's life without speaking of his love for Trains and Boats. Inherited, or more to the point infected by my dad, Thorn was a very accomplished train fan; summers as a fireman in Steamtown, designing, engineering and building the two foot gauge railroad we have in Etna. Thorn loved trains, not just taking pictures of them or riding them through some beautiful countryside, Thorn was at home in the cab or walking about the engine with an oil can and rag, keeping everything in working order. It just came naturally to him, one of the things that Ive realized over the last week is that with the loss of my dad and now Thorn, we have a 12 ton paper weight back in Etna that neither my mom, my sister nor I have the foggiest notion of how to operate. If anyone out there can help us out please see me at the reception.
And Boats, boy did Thorn love boats. It all started with a little 16 ½ foot Glastron on the Connecticut River and Squam Lake. But that was only the beginning. There was the big jet boat, and then the 46 foot Richardson that he brought with him to Marblehead and so many in between. For several years that hulking beast was his labor of love, sitting on jacks over at Red Pond and later at his mooring in the HahBah. Again, he did it all; from stem to stern, woodwork, painting, electrical, hydraulics, upholstery and that “seemingly” antique diesel engine. He got it all ship shape and had so much fun doing it. Of course every time we left port, the tool box was always handy, and no matter what happened there was always that confidence that Thorn could handle it, no matter what “it” was -- smoke, fire, some odd clanking sound, or “no sound” at all, hed' always get you back to port. Ya know, no matter what the journey, no matter how lost you may have felt, Thorn was the person you would want to follow. He would always get you back to port.
The Cancer
From the beginning, after his diagnosis Thorn made it clear that he was not afraid of dying. He told my sister with his dry sense of humor: “I’ll be dead. I’m not going to know.“ Incredibly Thorn chose not to google his illness, preferring to take it one step at a time. But that didn’t prevent the rest of us from googling it -- all of us finding a challenge we weren’t sure anyone could beat. Some times when his mind would wander to agonizing over his girls he told my sister: “so mostly I lie here thinking about trains and boats”. He was as strong and as brave as anyone could be with what he was facing. When we worried about Mom getting overtired Thorn told us that she was doing exactly what he’d be doing if Meredith or Morgan were sick. He said : This is where she belongs.
So thank you Mom you were amazing through this whole process.
I also want to acknowledge the incredible friendship and loyalty shown to Thorn by his friend and roommate Frank McElroy, he was absolutely amazing during this nightmare, he made us welcome in his home, cooked for us, slept anywhere he needed to including the floor! He largely made this whole effort possible. Larry, Andrew, Gordon , your strength and generosity was overwhelming, Thorn really cherished your friendship. And Juliet, your presence in Thorn's life made these last months bearable for him. He told my sister that he hated ever having to hang up the phone with you. I am so sorry that your love story had to end like this, but thank you for being there for Thorn and for us, to the bitter end.
In the last week of his life, when it became clear to those of us that were caring for him, that we were up against the wall, he held it together to the end. A true gentlemen, through and through.
But everything I have talked about here this morning, my childhood superman, his incredible interest in trains and boats, the last couple of months and how bravely he dealt with this cancer, all pale in comparison to that which was Thorn's Greatest love, his most incredible accomplishment, that which he was most proud of and the real reason that we are all here today. HIS GIRLS. Meredith, Morgan your father loved you so much. He was so proud of you. As I think everyone in this church who has known Thorn for more than five minutes can attest. You were his whole world. Aunt Mary tells me she found a journal noting every day he has spent with you over the last eight years.
We always knew what you were up to. The sports you were pursuing. how well you did in third grade. your times in the pool. We heard every one of Morgan’s jokes, he loved your sense of humor. We know everything about Meredith’s incredible efforts rowing. We even knew your SAT scores. And yes girls..there have been times when we even knew how much you weighed!! He was unabashed in his devotion to you and shouted it from the mountaintops…incessantly. This is perhaps the greatest loss in all of this, you have lost your biggest cheerleader. I don’t think collectively we can fill those shoes, but I can assure you, each and every one of us here today is going to try, in our own way, to be there for you. It’s not fair, you are too young and have so many of lifes decisions ahead of you, not having your dad there to help is gonna be tough, but I promise, this community that has come together this morning in honor of your dad will be there to help whenever you need us.
I’ve gone on long enough, I just want to say again, how grateful we are that to all of you have taken the time to come here and celebrate my brothers life'. Thank you