Thomas Barrett

Thomas Page Barrett

June 30, 1937 - December 8, 2023



Thomas Page Barrett passed away peacefully on December 8, 2023, at the age of 86.



Son of Joseph Russell Barrett and Evelyn (Page) Barrett, Tom was predeceased by his brother Joseph, sisters Anne (Passarelli) and Jane Barrett, teenage sweetheart, wife and mother to his children Penny (Foulds) Barrett. Tom will be dearly missed by his children David Barrett (wife Kathy), Laura Costello (husband Mark), Kristin Barrett-Anderson (husband Michael) and Linda Nesheim (husband Grant), his partner Ann Floyd and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Tom excelled at many sports and spent his military years with a ski team patrolling the alps. He studied to be a landscape architect at Syracuse University and remained connected to the earth, seeds and gardening throughout his life. He created The Hirsel selling his handstitched leather and sheepskin wares at Craft Shows and Renaissance Faires. Traveling the country, he was always looking for a place to settle in and finally found it in his island home on Martha's Vineyard. His belief in connection to the elements and to each other grew as he immersed himself in the seasons, the tides, the ocean and his artisan community.



Although his last years were riddled with the challenges of Alzheimer's disease, Tom kept his sense of humor and charm until the end.



Tom loved leatherwork, sailing, and a good laugh. A warm sun, a cat, a project, a puzzle, a pun, a glass of wine. He was an excellent skier, a good dad, a skilled craftsman and an adventurous sailor.



To worship the sun, and enjoy a bad pun

To nourish the earth, with hands in the dirt

Leather softens in stitch, a beautiful pitch

And winds blow into sails, the ultimate grail

Hands in warm fur, the cat softly purrs

A laugh, a sigh, a twinkling eye

A warm embrace, a long goodbye

A life without end, my soul sings you again