Thomas Guthrie Gunn

Middletown, RI - Thomas Guthrie Gunn, 98, of Middletown, RI, passed away on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at John Clarke Health Care Center, Middletown, RI. He was the husband of the late June Louise Gunn. Born in Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada on Oct. 7, 1913, he was the fourth son of the late Percy Pickard and Alice (Townsend) Gunn. After the early death of his father, he moved, with his mother, grand mother and three brothers, to Boston, MA, just prior to his tenth birthday. He graduated from the Roxbury Latin School in 1933 and earned a Fine Arts degree from Harvard University in 1937. In 1939 he married June Louis Eaton(who passed away in 1982). After graduating from Harvard, Tom became a sales representative with Little, Brown Co. During WWII he was a personnel manager with Montgomery Ward in Albany, NY. At the end of the war, he moved to Ossipee, NH, where he worked as a mill hand and carpenter. He moved with his family to Wolfeboro, NH., to teach at Brewster Academy, the job he always said he enjoyed the most. He left teaching to become a sales representative for E.M. Hale Co, working in New York State selling books to K-12 school libraries, and then was promoted to Northeastern Regional Manager for them. He was also Secretary-Treasurer for the Educational Salesman's Association of New York State. Later in his career he was a sales representative for Campbell Hall publishers With his wife June and their family, they moved to their summer house in Ossipee, New Hampshire, where they established and antique business. He also served as the Assistant Recreational Director of the Carroll County Nursing Home. Tom and June then moved to Kennebunkport, ME, in order to expand their antique business. There he also worked part-time for the Community Service program of Maine. He left Maine a year later , after the death of his wife, moving to Woburn, MA. While living there, he met Virginia Ross, and eventually moved to Middletown, RI. In Rhode Island he was employed as a docent for the Newport Preservation Society, work that he continued part time until he was 96 years old. Tom's interests over the years included, camping trips with his family, golfing with friends, and work and play at the home of June's parents, Gil and Sara Eaton of Effingham, NH. His antique business adventures with June lasted for over twenty years, and brought them many friends. From 1985 on, his life revolved around Virginia Ross. They traveled together to Britain, China, Bermuda, California and up and down the New England coast. His great personal pleasures were reading novels, history books, biographies, and listening to classical music. In his last years, he was thankful for the fine care given to him by the staff of the John Clarke Nursing Home. He described the John Clarke community as his "extended family". Tom's family will remember him as a loving and devoted father. Anyone who has known Tom, will remember him for his unbounded optimism, cheerful disposition and sense of humor. All of us will miss him. He is survived by sons Thomas Gunn Jr.and his wife Sandra of Austin, TX , Christopher Gunn and his wife Hazel of Geneva, NY, his daughter Sara Gunn of Puerto Rico, and his grand children, Benjamin, Leslie and Julie. He is preceded in death by his close companion of many years, Virginia Ross At the request of the family, calling hours are omitted. Funeral services are private