Thomas M. Head

Thomas Marshall Head, 81, died April 18, 2009 surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was born February 8, 1928 in Boston, MA to Neil C. and Margaret (Lincoln) Head. He grew up in Bronxville, NY but his love of New Hampshire began with the summers his family spent at their home in Lyndeborough, NH. He attended Tusculum College, Greeneville, TN, and completed his undergraduate studies at Boston University where he also pursued his interest in radio and communications in graduate school. He and his wife, Nancy, and their two children moved to Amherst, NH from Concord, MA in 1963 after he joined the New Hampshire Insurance Company. As an officer of the company and Director of Research and Development, he pioneered the programming of the newly introduced personal computer for automated issuance and servicing of insurance contracts. He later founded TMH Associates with his wife and son to continue programming the personal computer for insurance and other applications. Tom was an active member of the community. He served on the Amherst Ways and Means Committee, as Co-Chairman of the Souhegan Budget Committee, and as a trustee of the Amherst Town Library. He was also a dedicated volunteer with the Amherst Emergency Medical Services, serving as an ambulance driver and then later as a certified Emergency Medical Technician. Music was an important part of Tom's life. He was a gifted pianist and enjoyed singing in the church choir. He also pursued a lifelong interest in the theater, acting in and directing plays for the Concord,(MA) Players and the Amherst PTA. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Stage Festival when the theater group was founded. Tom was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Milford where he served on the Church Council, as Chairman of the Finance Committee, as Chairman of the Nominating Committee and as Co-Chairman of the Music Committee. He enjoyed spending time outdoors hiking, skiing, sailing, and canoeing with his family and friends, and was proud to be able to summit 4,500 foot Mt. Garfield in New Hampshire�s White Mountains in his mid-70s. He was a devoted father and grandfather. Besides his wife Nancy (Johnson) Head, he leaves his children, Charles L. Head and his wife, Sara, of Hopkinton, N.H., and Janet H. Gustafson and her husband, Robert, of Hampstead, N.H. He also leaves five grandchildren: Elsa, Christine, and Ian Head of Hopkinton, N.H., and Erik and Haley Gustafson of Hampstead, N.H. A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Milford on Saturday, April 25, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Amherst Emergency Medical Service, P.O. Box 126, Amherst, NH 03031 for respiratory equipment or the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Capital Campaign Fund, 20 Elm Street, Milford, NH 03055.