Thomas Macvane

Veteran, passed into the arms of our Lord March 31, 2017 at home surrounded by loved ones. Born Thomas Stanley MacVane to Henry and Eva Clarke MacVane on June 20, 1930 in Portland, Maine, he was predeceased by his beloved wife of 57 years, Charlotte Sears MacVane; his parents; and brother, Ritchie. He is survived by brother, Donny and his family; children, Ellen (Ron Arbour), Susan (Vince Armstrong), Todd, Jay (Heather), Beth (Mike Brundige); grandchildren, Kyle (Michelle), Scott, Grace (Alex), Dane, Lance, Ty, Troy, Cole, Emma, Cara, Daphne; great-grandson, Liam; and loving friend and companion, Lillian Murphy.Growing up on Long Island, Maine, where their mother was the schoolteacher, Tom and his brothers learned the family trade from their father a lobsterman and owner of an ice delivery business. A Portland High graduate, he earned a BS from Maine Maritime Academy in 1952. In the summer of 1953, Tom met the love of his life Charlotte, a kindergarten teacher from Boston who was vacationing on Long Island. They married six months later and together they adventured across the country raising their children (who hit the parent lottery!).After serving in the U.S. Navy, the majority of his career was spent with subsidiaries of Union Carbide including Linde in Southern California, Domsea Aquaculture on Bainbridge Island and London Chemical in Chicago. He retired in 1990 as president of KTI Chemical in Sunnyvale California.Happily retired, Tom and Charlotte built the "Charley J," his dream commercial tuna fishing boat. They went on to enjoy several years of summers fishing from their cottage in Maine and winters spent on Bainbridge Island with children and grandchildren always on the scene.Those fortunate to know him would likely agree that Tom could best be described as a people person. He loved to visit, talk and laugh always showing a genuine interest in others. He reveled in meeting new people, helping family and friends, telling stories, solving problems, fishing, building, fixing, gardening, taking drives, playing poker and Scrabble. With a "get her done" drive, Tom was always anxious to start a project and see it through to sometimes mixed results. His family often joked about his mantra "Not all jobs worth doing are worth doing well"! Truly a loving, generous and dependable husband, father and friend the impact of his life will continue to ripple. Through all life's ups and downs, he considered himself a lucky man, blessed by family, friends and the love of God. He is missed already.A celebration of Tom's life will be held Saturday, April 22, 2017, 2 p.m. at Bainbridge First Baptist Church, 8810 Madison Avenue NE, Bainbridge Island.The family gratefully acknowledges his friend and Pastor Dan Wymer.