LAMOINE – Dr. Thomas Hamilton Chase, 56, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, from cardiac arrest while skiing. Born March 16, 1953, in Hartford, Conn., Thomas was the second son of Henry Hamilton “Ham” and Dorothy (Gorham) Chase. He grew up in Keene, N.H., where he was active on tennis, skiing and hockey teams. After excelling in art in high school, he studied for a year at Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris. Returning to Keene, N.H., he studied realism under artists Norma Safford and Richard Whitney. Thomas attended the University of New Hampshire, where he majored in animal husbandry. He was an avid skier and was instrumental in gathering public support to restore the ski team to the UNH athletic roster. This experience led to a brief early interest in politics, and Tom was elected to the New Hampshire State Legislature as its youngest member ever while still a student at UNH. After graduation from UNH, Thomas was accepted to New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, and earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1981. After practicing for several years as a small animal veterinarian in Massachusetts, he returned to New Hampshire, where he continued to practice and eventually opened Portsmouth Animal Hospital. Never content unless his body and mind were actively engaged, Tom continued to pursue his lifelong love of the outdoors through skiing, sailing and gardening. He was a born teacher and was proud to have achieved level two status with the Professional Ski Instructors of America. He was an accomplished artist, creating a significant portfolio of oil paintings that captured the natural beauty of his native New England. His work was exhibited in galleries in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. He always found time to mentor his many nieces and nephews, who loved his ability to make each day an adventure. In 2005 Dr. Chase relocated to Maine to pursue a research career at The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, and made noteworthy contributions to the study of cardiac muscle disease, blood clotting abnormalities and tissue transplantation. He is remembered by colleagues as a first rate scientist. He made numerous friends and became an integral part of the communities where he lived and worked. His deep faith led him to serve St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Ellsworth, through his ministries as lector and Eucharistic minister. Tom was an active and engaged student of life whose energy and intellect enabled him to excel in a wide variety of areas. His genuine goodness and gentle sense of humor endeared him to all he met. He will be fondly remembered and dearly missed. In addition to his parents, Tom leaves behind his beloved, Annie Zacharias; his brothers, Alan Winfred and Vanthia of Naples, Fla., and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., David and Callie of Cumberland and Robert and Hein of Keene, N.H.; and his sisters, Carol and Robert Craig of Malvern, Pa., and Suzan Springer of Westerly, R.I. He was a devoted uncle to 17 nieces and nephews. A funeral Mass for Dr. Chase will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at St. Joseph’s Church, 231 Main St., Ellsworth. There will also be a memorial service 2 p.m. Sunday, March 7, at United Church of Christ, Keene, N.H. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of Dr. Thomas Chase be made to Emmaus Center, 51 Main St., Ellsworth, ME 04605 or the University of New Hampshire Ski Club.
THOMAS HAMILTON CHASE, D.V.M.
