Boothbay, ME – Thomas W Tavenner, Esq., age 90, of Boothbay, passed away peacefully on the evening of Dec. 5, 2022 surrounded by his family.
Thomas was born on Aug. 28, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri to the late Eugene and Hildegarde Tavenner.
He is survived by his son Thomas Jr. and his wife Ann, of Andover, Massachusetts; son John and his wife Yolande of North Conway, New Hampshire; son-in-law David Spencer of Dresden, Maine; five grandchildren, Sarah, William, Isabel, Abigail and Tommy; one great-grandchild, Eleanor Lisa, and nieces and nephews, including his niece Christine who he considered a second daughter.
He was predeceased by his wife Priscilla, his wife of 62 years, his daughter Lisa Tavenner Spencer, and two half brothers, Peter and Jack Wulfing.
While he spent all his summers in Boothbay as a young boy, Thomas was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and attended St. Louis Country Day School before moving east to complete his undergraduate and legal studies at Harvard University. Early in his career he practiced law in Boston where he met the love of his life Priscilla who he married on the coast of Oregon in 1959. He later worked for the Maine Attorney’s General Office before forming his own practice in Andover, Massachusetts until 1975 when he moved back to the place and family home he truly loved setting up his law practice in Boothbay Harbor which he and his wife Priscilla ran together until they retired in 2018.
Thomas was proud to be part of and an active member of the community, including the Congregational Church and Lions Club, and donated his time to several causes true to his heart. He worked tirelessly to help keep the local movie theater here in Boothbay Harbor.
Thomas always had time to tell a story and was a wealth of knowledge on historical matters as well a shipbuilder in his own right having built from scratch a fleet of wooden ship models of American ships over a span of several decades. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and relished both new and lifetime friendships he made over the years. He had a great love for animals of any kind and most days in his law office a golden retriever would be found under his desk as he never lived a day in his life without some kind of pet at his side.
He had a lifelong passion for sailing usually accompanied by either Priscilla or his golden retriever in his beloved Boothbay Harbor one design Galatea, which he had built in 1966 by Sonny Hodgdon and owned his entire life.
While he will be sorely missed, he will never be forgotten as he left behind as a gift to his family, friends and those who knew him embodying a legacy of faith, character, values and optimism.
A celebration of life will be announced at a later date to be held in the summer of 2023. In lieu of flowers if you wish to donate, select a charity of your choice in the memory of Thomas.
Hall’s of Boothbay has care of the arrangements. To extend online condolences, please visit hallfuneralhomes.com
