LACONIA ---- Thomas Joseph Garrity, 66, of Laconia, New Hampshire, passed away on Monday, October 21, 2024, after years of health complications.
He was born in Aurora, Illinois to Dr. Edward and Patricia (Purcell) Garrity. He was the youngest of six children. As a child, he attended Holy Angels Catholic School and Marmion Military Academy. He attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota where he studied International Business and Spanish. He spent one year as an exchange student in Seville, Spain which kick-started his long love affair with traveling the world. Most importantly, he met the love of his life Colleen Magoon Garrity at the College of St. Benedict, the sister school to St. John’s.
Tom and Colleen were married on August 7, 1982. Three weeks later they moved to Barcelona, Spain for Tom to attend Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ESADE) as an exchange student, where he earned a Master’s of Business Administration in Finance. In May of 1983, they moved to Glendale, Arizona where Tom attended the American Graduate School of International Management (AGSIM) where he earned a Master’s of Global Management. The couple moved to Rhode Island where Tom began his lifelong career in international business and traveled the world. The couple moved to Laconia, New Hampshire in 1987 where they raised their five children among the lakes and mountains. He eventually started his own successful business, Cambio International/Thermshield LLC. During his career, he made dear friends throughout the world, which impacted his life by learning about and respecting different cultures from around the world.
Tom loved and valued his family time, even when he was pulled away for work. During his frequent travels, the kids were fascinated to learn about the places he had been to and the next country he was going to. He would tell intriguing stories about the people he worked with, new people he met along the way and different foods he would try - from snails and monkey brains to chicken feet and frog legs, he had eaten it all. He always made it a point to bring home something small from each trip - tiny jam jars from Paris (even if they were only from the hotel buffet), chopsticks from China, Kinder Eggs for our Christmas stockings, and giant cinnamon buns from the airport. Although small, these gifts made lasting memories each time he would come home. During each trip, he made sure to call at night after dinner - these were the days of calling cards, long distance phone calls, and poor connections - there was no FaceTime or WhatsApp - so his phone call each night was a big deal. Even while away, he always made sure to make time for family, even in the smallest of ways.
Tom, along with his wife Colleen, worked hard to create meaningful family experiences for each other and their kids. For several years, they piled their 5 kids into the family vehicle and set off to their hometowns in Illinois and Minnesota for a multi-week vacation. The typical route from New Hampshire to Minnesota was through Canada via a 24-hour drive through the night – as you can imagine, with five young kids in tow, these were interesting, frustrating, and funny car rides to say the least. These family excursions were filled with dozens of hours fishing in Minnesota lakes, long days spent by the pool in Illinois, and many hours getting on each other’s nerves in the car.
Tom spent much of his free time fishing, golfing, skiing and swimming at the Laconia Swim Club with his kids. “Fishing”, while his kids were young, consisted mostly of baiting hooks and untangling lines. When his kids were older, and learned to tend to their own fishing gear, they took many fishing adventures that ended with fish in frying pans and stories that will be shared for years to come. While swimming at the pool, the kids always thought their dad had gills like a fish because he could stay under the water for minutes on end as they repeatedly pig-piled on top of him.
Tom was one of the most sociable people you could meet; he could talk to anyone about anything. He always cared about the thoughts and feelings of everyone, and he could have a long conversation with a stranger and always cared about what they said and thought. This had a large impact on his kids and their views on how you treat others, Ryan later started saying, "Everyone's a friend, I just haven't met them all yet," and he loved that, as it was how he had always treated others. Tom’s classic first line upon meeting someone new was, “Where do you call home?” which quickly led to talking about their entire life story. Through Tom’s extroverted personality, determination in his personal and professional life, and overall dedication to those around him, he provided a loving example of how to treat other people well and work hard doing so. His children learned to never give up, determination and hard work would get them through life.
Tom’s Catholic faith was an essential aspect of his life and a driving force that kept him determined to live life even in the face of several medical adversities. He was an active member of Our Lady of the Lakes and St. Andre Bessette parishes where he served as a lector, Eucharistic minister, CCD teacher, and pastoral and financial council member. After selling his and Colleen’s business and entering retirement, Tom volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children. He would typically represent 4-6 children at one time. He would advocate for each child after getting to know them, earning the child’s trust, and understanding what was in the best interest of the child. He took this role seriously and would represent each child in the best way possible.
Tom is survived by his wife, Colleen, of 42 loving years of marriage, his sons, Joseph and wife Kate Bergeron, Nathaniel, Trevor, and Ryan, daughter Hannah and husband Matias Picún, and granddaughter Maite. His second granddaughter will arrive in December. His niece, Amanda Magoon, will always hold a special place in his heart as his second daughter. He is also survived by his siblings, Janaan Licklider (Tracy), Maryl Hankes (Larry), Dr. Edward Garrity (Linda), Fr. Robert Garrity and Patricia Garrity and her boyfriend Guillermo, and many nieces and nephews.
Calling Hours will be held on Friday, October 25, 2024, from 9:00am-11:00am at the St. Andre Bessette Parish - Sacred Heart Church, 291 Union Ave., Laconia NH.
A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00am at church.
The burial will follow the Mass at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Garfield Street, Laconia, NH. A luncheon will follow. All are welcome.
For those who wish, please consider a donation in his memory to CASA of NH, https://donate.casanh.org/give/411911/#!/donation/checkout.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.