1949
Thomas
2020
Thomas Boothe
September 7, 1949 — October 30, 2020
Thomas M. Boothe, age 71, of 273 Glenwood Drive, Saranac Lake, died Friday, October 30, 2020 while hiking with friends in Chesterfield.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland on September 7, 1949, he was the son of Perry M. Boothe and Marcia Hammond Boothe. His father’s career in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps saw the family move regularly, with Tom growing up in Hawaii, London, and Arlington, VA, to name a few. While living in Schenectady, NY, Tom and his family would vacation in the Adirondacks, the beginnings of his lifelong love affair with the region.
Thomas married Betty Karrick, his high school sweetheart, on Thursday, December 30, 1971 in Arlington VA. They planned for Tom to spend “just four years” in the Navy. The subsequent 30-year career took them to Taberg, NY; Winter Harbor, ME; Seattle, WA; Keflavik, Iceland; Arlington, VA (multiple times); Oslo, Norway; Point Mugu, CA; and San Diego, CA. Throughout, Tom served his country with distinction, rising to become a Captain in the Civil Engineer Corps of the Navy, like his father before him. He was a father to his boys Peter (born in Maine in 1978) and Dan (born in Virginia in 1983) and served as Cubmaster for their Cub Scout packs in Oslo, Arlington and Point Mugu.
An avid canoeist, as “Taberg Tom” he tamed the whitewater in upstate New York, and whenever he was stationed in Arlington he would paddle the waters of the Potomac. The family went on outdoor vacations every year, through the mountains and fjords of Norway, the Shenandoahs, the Sierras, and the Adirondacks. Starting in the early 90’s, and continuing for multiple decades, he participated in the 90-mile Adirondack Canoe Classic, often coming home with winner’s plaques, or “hardware” as he put it. In San Diego he turned heads by regularly paddling to work across San Diego bay.
Soon after his retirement from the Navy in 2002, Tom biked across the United States. Returning home with a changed perspective, Tom and Betty re-located to Saranac Lake, NY in the heart of the Adirondacks in 2003. Tom continued working with the Civil Engineer Corps as a consultant for five more years until turning his attention full time to outdoor pursuits, world travel, philanthropy, and civil service. He was an outdoorsman in every season, hiking, mountain biking, road biking, paddling, and cross country skiing with those he loved, frequently starting from his cabin on Osgood Pond. His many treks through Nepal were the source of countless stories and slide shows.
Tom was passionate about his community. He served as Chairman of the Village of Saranac Lake Development Board, Chairman of the Board of ADK Action, Treasurer of the Osgood Pond Association, sat on the board of Lakeside House, and was President of the Beech Hill Camp Property Owner’s Association. He was instrumental in the reconstruction of the lodge at Dewey Mountain Recreation Center, where the Great Room now bears his name.
He is survived by his wife Betty of Saranac Lake, two sons Peter (Tracy) Boothe of Amstelveen, Netherlands and Daniel (Aimee) Boothe of San Francisco, CA, three grandchildren Samantha, Theodore and Eva and one brother Allen (Shirley) Boothe of Springfield, OR. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister Lorraine Boothe.
Funeral arrangements are in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake. Memorial services for Tom Boothe will be held on Thursday November 5th at 7:00pm eastern time. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, in-person attendance will not be possible. The ceremony will be webcast live via the Facebook page of Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake (https://www.facebook.com/Fortune-Keough-Funeral-Home-Inc-150711701627735), and a recording will be available once the ceremony ends.
All who are moved to do so are welcome and encouraged to submit a written tribute to be read aloud during the service. Please email your tributes directly to Dan Boothe at boothe@gmail.com. You may also submit photos of Tom for inclusion in a tribute video at this link: https://www.tributeslides.com/up/154461774509. Please submit written tributes and photos by the end of the day Wednesday 11/4.
Friends wishing to remember Thomas M. Boothe may make memorial contributions to ADK Action in care of the funeral home.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland on September 7, 1949, he was the son of Perry M. Boothe and Marcia Hammond Boothe. His father’s career in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps saw the family move regularly, with Tom growing up in Hawaii, London, and Arlington, VA, to name a few. While living in Schenectady, NY, Tom and his family would vacation in the Adirondacks, the beginnings of his lifelong love affair with the region.
Thomas married Betty Karrick, his high school sweetheart, on Thursday, December 30, 1971 in Arlington VA. They planned for Tom to spend “just four years” in the Navy. The subsequent 30-year career took them to Taberg, NY; Winter Harbor, ME; Seattle, WA; Keflavik, Iceland; Arlington, VA (multiple times); Oslo, Norway; Point Mugu, CA; and San Diego, CA. Throughout, Tom served his country with distinction, rising to become a Captain in the Civil Engineer Corps of the Navy, like his father before him. He was a father to his boys Peter (born in Maine in 1978) and Dan (born in Virginia in 1983) and served as Cubmaster for their Cub Scout packs in Oslo, Arlington and Point Mugu.
An avid canoeist, as “Taberg Tom” he tamed the whitewater in upstate New York, and whenever he was stationed in Arlington he would paddle the waters of the Potomac. The family went on outdoor vacations every year, through the mountains and fjords of Norway, the Shenandoahs, the Sierras, and the Adirondacks. Starting in the early 90’s, and continuing for multiple decades, he participated in the 90-mile Adirondack Canoe Classic, often coming home with winner’s plaques, or “hardware” as he put it. In San Diego he turned heads by regularly paddling to work across San Diego bay.
Soon after his retirement from the Navy in 2002, Tom biked across the United States. Returning home with a changed perspective, Tom and Betty re-located to Saranac Lake, NY in the heart of the Adirondacks in 2003. Tom continued working with the Civil Engineer Corps as a consultant for five more years until turning his attention full time to outdoor pursuits, world travel, philanthropy, and civil service. He was an outdoorsman in every season, hiking, mountain biking, road biking, paddling, and cross country skiing with those he loved, frequently starting from his cabin on Osgood Pond. His many treks through Nepal were the source of countless stories and slide shows.
Tom was passionate about his community. He served as Chairman of the Village of Saranac Lake Development Board, Chairman of the Board of ADK Action, Treasurer of the Osgood Pond Association, sat on the board of Lakeside House, and was President of the Beech Hill Camp Property Owner’s Association. He was instrumental in the reconstruction of the lodge at Dewey Mountain Recreation Center, where the Great Room now bears his name.
He is survived by his wife Betty of Saranac Lake, two sons Peter (Tracy) Boothe of Amstelveen, Netherlands and Daniel (Aimee) Boothe of San Francisco, CA, three grandchildren Samantha, Theodore and Eva and one brother Allen (Shirley) Boothe of Springfield, OR. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister Lorraine Boothe.
Funeral arrangements are in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake. Memorial services for Tom Boothe will be held on Thursday November 5th at 7:00pm eastern time. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, in-person attendance will not be possible. The ceremony will be webcast live via the Facebook page of Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake (https://www.facebook.com/Fortune-Keough-Funeral-Home-Inc-150711701627735), and a recording will be available once the ceremony ends.
All who are moved to do so are welcome and encouraged to submit a written tribute to be read aloud during the service. Please email your tributes directly to Dan Boothe at boothe@gmail.com. You may also submit photos of Tom for inclusion in a tribute video at this link: https://www.tributeslides.com/up/154461774509. Please submit written tributes and photos by the end of the day Wednesday 11/4.
Friends wishing to remember Thomas M. Boothe may make memorial contributions to ADK Action in care of the funeral home.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Thomas Boothe, please visit our flower store.
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