FRANKLIN - Thomas M. Nicoletta, 70, of Franklin, N.H., who spent 37 years as a clinical psychologist at New Hampshire Hospital in Concord, working to improve the lives of some of the state’s most vulnerable mentally ill citizens, died at home on June 11, 2016 after a long illness.
"Tom loved the work that he did,” said his wife of 44 years, Christine (Gully) Nicoletta. “He cared about the patients who needed help and believed that, with accurate assessment, diagnosis and treatment, he and the other staff could help them - and usually did. This was hard work, but he knew what he was doing and it was gratifying for him."
Born in Marlborough, MA, Mr. Nicoletta graduated from Marlborough High School in 1964 and from the Newman School in Boston a year later. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH in 1969 and a Master’s Degree in psychology from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA in 1971.
It was at Duquesne where the couple met. After graduation, Mr. Nicoletta was hired by the State of New Hampshire and began working at the state hospital. The couple settled in Canterbury, where they lived for ten years. For the last 31 years, they resided in Franklin, where they raised their daughter, Anne Hart (Nicoletta) Lin.
One of the greatest joys at the end of Mr. Nicoletta’s life was time with his 2-year-old grandson, William C. Lin, of South Lowell, MA.
“Puppa loved to see William wearing his Red Sox cap and delighted in William’s love of trucks, tractors and cranes and his exclamations of wonderment. William would call out, ‘Oh WOW!’” said Anne Lin. "William loved to show his ‘Puppa’ how he played ‘hoop’ with his basketball and to ‘accompany’ him when he played the piano.”
Mr. Nicoletta was a gentle man with a wonderful sense of humor. He was a voracious reader interested in psychology, politics, social justice and topics related to his hobbies. His library includes multiple volumes on fly-fishing.
“He fished with the bamboo rods that he built and the flies that he tied and often went with his friend, Guy Cogswell, on the Contoocook and Merrimack rivers,” said his wife.
Mr. Nicoletta played piano and entertained family and friends, both at work and at the home he cherished. He loved to ride his bicycle at the N.H. Veteran's Cemetery and usually cycled 12-15 miles at every opportunity. He sailed his beloved wooden boat on Webster Lake in Franklin and learned to ski so he could accompany his daughter during ski lessons while she attended Sant Bani school.
“He was also a pretty good cook, an interest he acquired later in life, learning from studying cookbooks and watching cooking shows on TV,” said his wife.
After the state hospital, he worked for New Hampshire Child Support Services from 2011 until his retirement in 2014.
The son of the late Francis A. Nicoletta and Philomena [Phyllis] R. Tornifoglio Nicoletta, he is survived by his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Joseph Lin, of South Lowell, MA; a brother, Francis A. Nicoletta, Jr. and his wife, Lynne Nicoletta, of Boothbay, ME; sister-in-law Kate (Gully) Higginbotham, of Greenfield, MA; brothers-in-law Kevin T. Gully and his wife, Donna Allen Gully, of Worcester, MA, Anthony J. Gully and his wife, Diana Gully Santiago, of Quincy, MA, and Andrew P. Gully and his wife, Jacqueline Rutter, of Ipswich, MA; and many cousins, nephews and nieces.
A Gathering of Friends and Family for Mr. Nicoletta will be held on Sunday, July 24, 2016 at 11 a.m. at The Carriage House at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord, N.H.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Franklin VNA and Hospice, Chestnut Street, Franklin, NH 03235. Friends and family are asked to bring a rock, which we will collect and use to build a small cairn in the Nicoletta’s yard in Franklin.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com