ST. ALBANS – Thomas Joseph Roach, 81, died unexpectedly at his home in St. Albans on Aug. 22, 2022. Tom was born July 6, 1941, the second of nine brothers and sisters born to Edmond and Myrtle (Dewey) Roach. After high school and a brief stint in the army, Tom joined his father and two brothers at a local printshop in Connecticut. He met the love of his life, Lynn, when they were seniors in high school. They married on Aug. 17, 1963, and had celebrated 59 years of marriage shortly before his passing. 

After Tom and Lynn were “blessed” with three sons, they decided that working separate jobs (Tom as a printer, Lynn as a schoolteacher) did not allow them the time they wanted to spend together. In 1976, on one trip that Tom took with his long-time friend Al Barrows, they stopped into the St. Albans General Store in St. Albans Maine. They noticed a small “For Sale” sign in the window. Undeterred by the lack of any experience running a business, that very day the two put money down to purchase the store, leaving only the minor step of convincing their wives that this was a good idea. Sight unseen, Lynn and Al’s wife Valerie pulled up their Connecticut stakes and started the trek to St. Albans. The caravan that headed out from Bristol, Connecticut with both couples, their combined five children (three boys and two girls), and the bread truck that Tom had converted into a self-made camper that could only be driven at night to avoid over-heating, was a sight to behold.

The store provided just what Tom and Lynn wanted: a place that allowed them to be together, literally from dawn to dusk, and raise their boys in their adopted small town in the middle of Maine, with neighbors who not only knew their names, but cared about one another as well. The two couples ran the store for 17 years before selling in 1993 and moving to St. Albans Mountain. Tom had spent many of his off hours building a camp on the mountain that he eventually transitioned to their peaceful home in the woods. Tom built the home, mostly on his own, learning as he went. Between that experience and the regular repairs of all sorts that came along with running a store, Tom became very skilled at figuring things out for himself. There was almost nothing he couldn’t fix.

Tom and Lynn were also strong in their Catholic faith and were members of St. Annes and then St. Agnes, finding great joy singing in the church choir. They were also focused on helping other people; anyone in need, Tom was there to help. He truly cared about other people and furthered that caring not only with words, but deeds. Our bet is that if you knew Tom, you are nodding right now.

Tom took up hunting and fishing almost immediately after arriving in St. Albans. Over the course of the next 46 years, Tom spent countless hours in the woods and waters near St. Albans, as well as trips up north with his sons and friends fishing and hunting. Our dad loved those trips. The friends, the camaraderie, the hours of poker, stories and good-natured ribbing and just enjoying time with the boys at camp. Those trips will not be the same without him, but we will continue the tradition as he would want.

Tom loved his family. He loved his sons, their wives, and his grandchildren. But he especially loved his wife. To the date of his death, Tom and Lynn were in real love, the still-holding- hands-when-you-are-80 kind of love. They were a shining example to their children of what it means to lead a kind, giving and loving life and the importance of choosing the right mate with whom to walk the path. Tom and Lynn both chose well.

Tom is survived by his loving wife, Lynn, sons, Michael, Chris, and Jamie, their wives Diane, Gigi, and Kimberly; his grandchildren, Jennifer, Taylor, Ally, Haleigh, Meg, Matthew, Hannah, Jakob, and Katie and his seven surviving siblings and their spouses, Bob and Jackie, Larry and Roxanne, Cynthia and Mark, Rick and Terry, Ron and Jane, Stephen and Jeff, and Karen and Jeff.

Visiting hours will be Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, from 5-7 p.m., at Crosby and Neal Funeral Home, 117 Main Street, Newport, Maine 04953.

A memorial mass will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, at 11 a.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church, 238 Detroit Avenue, Pittsfield with the Rev. Fr. Frank Murray and Deacon David Denbow officiating.

The family will schedule a celebration of Tom’s life at a date and location to be announced.

Those who wish may leave written condolences at http://www.CrosbyNeal.com.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to Doctors Without Borders, in Tom’s name, at http://www.donate.doctorswithoutborders.org.

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