Alden H. Sawyer, Jr. ’53 died on February 11, 2023, in Falmouth, Maine.

(The following was provided by the Jones, Rich, and Barnes Funeral Home on February 11, 2023)

Alden H. Sawyer, Jr. ’53

Falmouth, Maine – On February 11, 2023, Alden Hart Sawyer, Jr, better known as Tom, Dad, and Grampy died peacefully in his sleep in his 92nd year of life.

Tom was born in Summit, NJ, to Alden H. Sawyer, Sr. and Gayle Morgan Sawyer and moved to Maine at a young age. He graduated from Deering High Schoo1 in 1949. In 1953 he graduated from Bowdoin College and in 1958 he earned an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Between Bowdoin and the University of Michigan, Tom had the opportunity to see the world while on two world cruises aboard the USS Forrest Royal (DD872). Tom attended Navy Officer Candidate School and Communications School in Newport, RI. In 1956-1957 Tom served as staff, Commander Destroyer Squadron Ten, with active duty in Korean War Zone from September 1954 to January 1955. Tom had “The Conn” (control of the ship) during a passage through the Suez Canal, among other, challenging passages.

In 1957 Tom went to work as an accountant at Baker & Adams (now Baker Newman Noyes) and in 1958 Tom began a forty-year career at Shaw’s Supermarkets as office manager. In 1960 he became assistant treasurer and two years later treasurer. In 1967 he was promoted to vice president for finance and real estate, and in 1975 Tom was named executive vice president and general manager. When Shaw’s merged with Brocton Public Markets in 1981 Tom served as general manager of the Central Division and in 1983 he became general manager of the Northern Division. He retired from Shaw’s in 1988.

During and after Tom’s time at Shaw’s he was very active on public and non-profit boards. Most notably, Tom served as trustee on Davis Family Foundation, on the Board of Overseers at Bowdoin College, as a corporator and Investment Committee member of Maine Medical Center, chairman of the board of North Yarmouth Academy, campaign chair of United Way, and director of Sugarloaf Mountain Corporation. He also served on over a dozen boards that he loved and served with loyalty and enthusiasm.

Tom enjoyed skiing for most of his life. As a young boy he was given skis and practiced regularly on a backyard hill in Stroudwater. Later he worked at King & Dexter Ski Shop, mounting bindings and screwing in metal edges onto hickory skis. He raced for Deering and Bowdoin and competed in the Canadian Nationals. One career highlight was sixth place out of forty-seven racers in the first ski race at Sugarloaf in April of 1952.

Tom’s happiest days were spent fly fishing with friends and family along the The Miramichi, St. Paul, or Upsalquitch Rivers and glorious days cruising Downeast on Tamerlane a 36’ Grand Banks and sailing to Prince Edward Island on board Diablo. If not boating, he might be found at early morning tennis and for Tom there was never a bad ski day at Sugarloaf no matter how icy it was.

Tom is survived by his wife, Barbara. They were married for sixty-eight years. He is also survived by his daughter, Judy, and her husband, Carson, his son, Andrew, and his wife, Tisha, and his grandsons, Duncan, Morgan, Alden, and Jack.