Thomas Edward Wetmore of Northfield, Minn. passed away Dec. 13.
Tom was born Aug. 28, 1927 in Evanston and raised in Skokie, Ill. His parents were Henry and Marion (West).
Tom was an Eagle Scout and later an Assistant Scout Master with several troops in Massachusetts for many years. He served in the U.S. Army occupation forces in Japan in 1947. Tom was graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950 and became a Professional Engineer in 1955. He worked most of his career as a highway engineer and traffic engineer with Edwards & Kelcey, winning awards for highways he designed in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in Mankato, Minnesota, and on the North Shore of Minnesota.
He and Jean were married in 1954 and were together 54 years. They had a honeymoon on the coast of Maine, where they would retire more than 40 years later. They raised four children in Medfield, Mass., before moving to Bloomington, Minn., in 1978. After retiring in 1994, they fulfilled a plan of many years by building a home on the coast of Maine near Pemaquid Point. Tom combined his engineering skill and love of architecture to design their houses in Medfield and in Maine. In 2006, Tom and Jean moved to Northfield to be closer to children and grandchildren.
Tom loved to garden. In Maine he was a member of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and the Mid-Maine Rose Society. He loved roses and grew rose bushes in each of his gardens. His love of photography is apparent in the many photos he took and the cherished ones he had printed and framed, and that hung on the walls of his home. He was also an avid railroad modeler, and enjoyed hearing Chris tell stories of working on a 7-1/2″-gauge railroad located on a friend’s property in Michigan.
Tom suffered from asthma and later in his life had limited ability to leave the house. The last two-and-a-half years of his life his oldest grandchild, Leigh, lived with him and was his primary caregiver.
Tom was preceded in death by his wife Jean and grandson, Sam Wetmore.
He is survived by sons, Alan Wetmore of Silver Springs, Md., Jay Wetmore and wife Connie of Bloomington, Minn., Chris Wetmore and wife Annette of Jackson, Mich., and David Wetmore and wife Kris of Edina, Minn.; grandchildren Leigh Wetmore, Diane Wetmore, Derek Wetmore, Carter Wetmore, Brooke Wetmore, Anna Wetmore, Adam Wetmore, Katie Wetmore, and Annika Wetmore; and sisters, Elizabeth Metcalf of Houston, Tex., and Margaret Weber of Rio, Ill.
Services 1 p.m., Thurs., Jan. 3 at the Chapel of the Northfield Retirement Community, 900 Cannon Valley Dr., Northfield. Reception to follow, visitation one hour prior.
Arrangements are with Benson & Langehough Funeral Home, 201 East 4th St., Northfield, Minn., (507) 645-5123, www.northfieldfuneral.com.
