1953 – 2016

FARMINGTON — Thomas Milburn Gopsill VII, beloved husband, father and brother, died in the comfort of his home with his loving wife by his side on Saturday. Dec. 17.

Tom spent the last two years involved in a medical trial for patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Tom wanted to make a difference, if not for himself, for others.

Growing up in Princeton, N.J., Tom was an Eagle Scout and his life was largely shaped by the Scout doctrines. He was president of his junior class, planned the first school-wide Earth Day celebration and was awarded the American Legion Medal for Good Citizenship.

Tom received a Bachelor of Science in biology with a minor in chemistry from Davidson College in North Carolina. He had a great passion for ornithology and was forever sighting birds all over Maine.

Tom’s careers were a testament to his myriad abilities. In 1980, he entered the Maine coast fishing industry. He started out shoveling ice on an old wooden eastern rig and worked his way up to being a captain of one of the high liners in the Gulf of Maine, The Enterprise owned by F.J. O’Hara of Rockland. He safely captained The Enterprise through “The Perfect Storm” as he took her to the leeward side of Sable Island — an amazing feat!

When Tom’s sons were approaching middle school, he knew it was a good time to obtain a job onshore. Tom started working in the financial industry: buying futures and buying and selling stocks. After a few years he went to work for Robert Bean, LPL Financial and later became manager of Western Mountain Financial, owned by Franklin Savings Bank.

Many of Tom’s happy moments were spent on the water. As a youth, he spent his summers at a family camp on Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario. There, with his beloved family: mother Merelynn, sister Jeryl, and grandparents Merrell and Ester, he swam, sailed and water-skied through the summers, all the while eating his grandmother’s chocolate sugar cookies.

Community service was always a priority for Tom. He loved the hours spent coaching baseball, and at times, Titcomb Mountain was his second home. During late summer, he would drive his John Deere tractor to the mountain and mow the trails so a minimum of snow would cover them for early skiing. Then winter might find him parking school buses for a big ski meet, or tending gates, or in the early season on cold nights, making snow.

Tom had a very happy and content life with his immediate family: Carole, Merrell, Tommy and Rachael, not forgetting his many Labradors. Annual trips to Quebec and Boston were enjoyed. His jokes and smile will be deeply missed.

Tom especially loved watching the boys participate in their activities. School music concerts were a favorite. But, he loved games: baseball games, football games and lacrosse games. Tom also greatly enjoyed ski racing and all it entailed.

There were many gatherings of extended family at camps at Embden and Boothbay. These included his loving and beloved sisters-in-law and spouses, Beth and Paul Chamberlin, Rachael and Dick LaCasse, Noel and Jon Taylor (and daughter Austin), and Gus and Mary Thomas. Also in the mix were nephews, Patrick and Mark Chamberlin and their families.

Tom was predeceased by his mother, Merelyn DuBois Gopsill; his father, Thomas M. Gopsill VI; and his beloved maternal grandparents, Merrell and Ester Dubois.

Tom is survived by his wife of 36 years, Carole Austin Gopsill of Farmington; son, Merrell Dubois Gopsill and his wife, Sara, and their son, Jack Ryan Gopsill, of Miami, Fla.; son, Thomas Milburn Gopsill VIII and his wife, Ashley, and their boys, Thomas Milburn Gopsill IX and Bryce Durgin Gopsill of Farmington; and his sister, Jeryl G. Torick of Lake Stevens, Wash.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Tom greatly appreciated the care he received from the professionals at Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, especially Donna, Lynette, Jane and Tara.

Condolences and tributes may be shared on his memorial wall, and his video tribute may be viewed at www.wilesrc.com.

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