Thomas Joseph Watman

1938 - 2012

HENNIKER - Thomas Joseph Watman, 74, of Colby Hill Road, Henniker, died from complications from a stroke Wednesday, September 26, 2012. Whether he liked it or not (and we know he did), he was surrounded by his loving, immediate family.

Born in Manchester, August 22, 1938 to the late Thomas E. Watman and Stella (Bogacki) Watman, Tom is survived by his wife of 52 years, Elizabeth (Betty) Watman; brother Michael X. Watman and sister-in-law Luise Watman; son Mark Thomas Watman and daughter-in-law Jennifer Watman; daughter Susan Watman-Schultz and son-in-law Eric Schultz; and grandchildren Benjamin Schultz, Nicholas Schultz, and Cheyanne Watman. He is also survived by his trusted companion "Socs" (short for Socrates) the basset hound, as well as cousins, nieces, friends, acquaintances, and just enough enemies to be certain he lived life well and without too much compromise.

As a child Tom was raised in Lawrence, Mass. where he attended St Rita and St. Augustine Elementary Schools, and then Lawrence Central Catholic High School. At Lawrence Central Catholic the teachings of the Marist Brothers instilled not only a sense of fear, but an important foundation regarding the value of community, a dedicated work ethic, and kindness to others (especially the less fortunate). While the Marist Brothers were tough, he admired them greatly and spoke often of their lasting influence.

Upon graduation, Tom attended the University of New Hampshire, where he earned a BA in Government and an M.Ed.in School Administration. While there he was Junior Class President, President of the TKE Fraternity, and belonged to many organizations including the Newman Club, Class Council, the Student Senate, and the Phi Sigma Political-Science Honor Society. This was also where he met and fell in love with his wife Betty within the halls of the Student Union and Scott Hall.

After College he taught high school Social Studies for eight years, seven of which were at Farmington High School, and one at Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow. In Henniker he worked as the Principal of the Henniker Schools (K-12) for two years, as Assistant Superintendent of Schools for seven years, and as Superintendent of Schools for S.A.U. 24 for eight years. He also worked as the Educational Supervisor at the Pangburn School at Spaulding Youth Center, as a Special Education Complaint Investigator for the New Hampshire Department of Education, as a campaign manager for a successful candidate for NH State Senate (District 7), and as Director of the Hillsboro Anti-Nuclear Dump Committee.

While he would rather have been President of the United States or the head coach of the Boston Celtics (because really he thought he'd do a damn fine job!) he never had the opportunity, and he thus chose to dedicate his life to his local community in Henniker, which he moved to in 1969. Perhaps because Henniker allowed for him and others to be invested in the day-to-day fabric of the town, he loved and felt particularly indebted to the people of Henniker for all the community offered to his family. He genuinely felt that public service was a great honor and in all of his work as an educator, writer, coach, and public servant he sought to represent people fairly and advocate for those who might not be able to strongly advocate for themselves.

As an educator, Tom was student focused and he enjoyed working with students who struggled and students who excelled. He fought hard for special education rights and services, embraced the idea of shared governance (with student participation), and started numerous teacher evaluation and development programs. He also developed educational filmstrips, cassette programs, and wrote many articles and publications on education and coaching- including publications in Progressive Teacher, and NH Educator. Throughout his work in education, Tom won several national awards for teaching including The Outstanding Young Educator Award from the N.H Jaycees, and the Freedom Foundation's Valley Forge Classroom Teacher's medal. As well, he was recognized nationally for his citizenship building efforts. Having never had a problem with displaying confidence, Tom enjoyed celebrating these achievements over and over with his family.

As a writer, he wrote and wrote and wrote and kept writing. In the end, he had well over a thousand weekly columns published in the Hillsboro Messenger (14 years), the Contoocook Valley Contender (2 years), and The Villager (5 years). His favorite column was "Watman's World" in which he focused on local political issues, family, and the community of Henniker, New Hampshire.

Tom's family, education, and training led him to believe very strongly in the important of public service. His service to the Henniker community included almost eight years as a Selectman in the town of Henniker (four years as Chairman of the Board of Selectmen), nine years of service on the Henniker Community School Board (four years as Chairman), as well as service on countless other committees including the School Administrative Unit # 24 School Board and the SAU #24 School Board Executive Committee, the Historic District Commission, Highway Safety Committee, Henniker Youth Athletic Committee, Capital Improvements Committee, Conservation Commission, Road Management Committee, ZBA, Town-Gown Committee, Planning Board, Budget Committee, Energy Committee, and the Fair Hearing Committee, among others..

Tom also loved sports and coached high school and town teams in baseball, softback, basketball, volleyball and soccer, winning numerous championships in the span of his 25 years and 53 seasons of coaching. He took great pride in the accomplishments of his players and took meticulous records so much so that we can write with certainty that his overall coaching record was a whopping 523 wins to a measly 373 losses (way to go Tom!)

Tom was also not a simple man. He was complicated, and we loved him in his complexity. He was not afraid to stand alone and fight for what he believed was right. He believed in the "common good" and because of that belief he sometimes stood alone when he believed what he was fighting for with real conviction.

He admired those who worked hard even if they failed. He also valued "stick-to-it-ive-ness" (which is a definitive Watman trait), and, by our estimation, he could nearly out-work anyone-and would achieve a great sense of pleasure in doing so!

Those who knew Tom closely knew he valued honesty, always attempted to be a "straight shooter" and strove to live life with compassion for others. He also admired those who achieved greatness through hard work and dedication. An avid sports fan who rooted for the Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox (also the Detroit Tigers-but only because he was loyal to Johnny Pesky when the Sox traded him), he admired the hustle and skills of Dave Cowens, John Havlicek , Larry Bird, Connor Henry (for those 15 minutes of fame), Carl Yastrzemski, and Pete Rose. He also loved rooting for the underdog in almost any context.

Tom had friends from all walks of life and found great pleasure in being around people at the old Nook, having coffee and scratching lottery tickets (All in support of NH Education!) at the old Henniker Pharmacy counter, and talking with many locals at Mary's, and St. George's Cafes. He also happened to have a great sense of humor, two bum knees, and be a real fighter (he survived Cancer back in his 40s!). He also hated growing older, but as an avid reader of history understood the importance of learning from one's past. He was proud of his Polish heritage, loved to drink Moxie, and on occasion ate mustard and onion sandwiches as a reminder of the poverty his parents lived through during the great depression. As well, even though he lived in New England his entire life, he never learned how to properly drive in the snow and ruined more car transmissions trying to get out of snow-banks than one would think humanly possible.

Beyond anything else, his best friends were his family and he will be remembered as a loving husband, father, and grandfather who cherished the time he spent with his wife, children, and grandchildren. In the lives of his family and friends he occupied some very large space-sort of like this obituary!

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Tom's memory to the Town of Henniker- Youth Athletics 2 Depot Hill Rd Henniker, NH 03242.

A public and informal wake will be held Sunday, September 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Holt Funeral Home (Drop by if you can), and a Catholic Mass will be held the following day, Monday, October 1st, at St. Theresa's Church at 11a.m.

The Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home & Cremation Service is assisting the family. For more log on to www.holtwoodburyfh.com.