Walter Frederic Thomas Jr. ’51 died on September 24, 2009, in Brunswick, Maine.
He was born on January 6, 1925, in Meriden, Conn., and prepared for college at Phillips Academy and Kimball Union Academy. In his senior year at Bowdoin, he served as house president of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and as treasurer of Masque and Gown. He attained the rank of sergeant, serving with the Army’s 4th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan during World War II, and was awarded two Battle Stars and a Bronze Arrowhead. His unit was awarded a Navy Commendation for action off Northern Luzon. He worked as a manager of Treadway Inn in Williamstown, Mass., for two years, then as a field agent for Lowell (Mass.) Mutual Fire Insurance Co. In 1956, he joined the Robert R. Wilson insurance agency in Melrose and Chelmsford, Mass., as treasurer and general manager, later becoming an owner, and stayed until his retirement in 1990. He was a charter member of the Chelmsford Rotary Club, where he served as secretary for seven years and was named a Paul Harris Fellow. He also was a member of the Fidelity Masonic Lodge of Melrose, Rose Croix Valley of Lowell, and Consistory in Boston. He was a member of All Saints Church in Chelmsford and served eight years as its school superintendent. After retiring, he and his wife moved to Maine, where he became a volunteer at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Winifred Marris Thomas; a son, William Thomas; three daughters, Kimberly Parsons, Nancy Thomas, and Barbara Apse; six grandchildren, including Andrew Parsons ’05; a brother, Theodore Thomas; and two sisters, Marcia Walker and Linda Thomas.