THOMAS WINTHROP ROSSITER

1936 - 2014

ROSSITER, Thomas Winthrop 77, a longtime resident of Needham, MA passed away on Saturday, January 18th, 2014. Thomas was born in New York City on June 3, 1936. He was the son of Ehrick Winthrop Rossiter (New York, NY) and Katharine Chadwick Rossiter (Fall River, MA). The family had strong ties to Washington, CT where his grandfather had established and built many homes, buildings and churches. Thomas attended Allen Stevenson School, Rumsey Hall, Milton Academy (class of 1954) and Harvard (Class of 1958) where he was a member of The Owl Club. Tom was a beloved teacher and coach at the Dexter School for 45 years. He was a golfer and member of the Dedham Country and Polo Club, He enjoyed crossword puzzles and was an avid Red Sox fan. Thomas was lovingly called "Professor" and was a lifelong friend to many. He was a master of telling stories in an infectious way and was a "repository of social history". He was loyal, humble, one in a million and priceless. He is survived by Leslie Ward Rossiter (mother of his children), his son James Rossiter (daughter-in-law Anna Barrett, Granddaughter Amelia, Grandson Lowell) and his daughter Page Rossiter (son-in-law Jeffrey Brothers), longtime caregiver Emmanuel Rutwaza and a large community of friends. Visiting hours will be at Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Avenue in NEEDHAM, MA on Friday, February 14th from 4-7pm. A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, February 15th at 2pm at The First Baptist Church, 858 Great Plain Avenue in Needham, MA. A Life Celebration will also take place this June in Washington, CT. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to Steep Rock Association, 2 Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794. Steep Rock Association is one of the oldest land trusts in Connecticut. Toms grandfather, Ehrick Kensett Rossiter gifted the original parcel of land in 1925 to the trust long before the idea of land protection became common. Since then, many landowners have given additional tracts to the Steep Rock Association, and today Steep Rocks holdings include over 2,700 acres. For obit, directions or to share a memory of Thomas please visit www.eatonfuneralhomes.com EATON FUNERAL HOME 781-444-0201