Thomas P. Wakeman

Thomas Prescott Wakeman, 56, of Gloucester, passed from the earth on March 4, 2025.
Born in Malden, MA on April 30, Tom was the middle child between two sisters, one year between them on either side. His light shone brightly: many remember him as exceptionally smart, funny, handsome, sensitive, and athletic. Tom attended Plum Cove, Fuller and Rockport Public Schools and graduated from the Danvers Alternative High School in 1986. He graduated with honors from North Shore Community College as an adult learner in 2015, earning an Associate of Arts degree in Environmental Studies. Tom lived in many warm places including Vieques, Puerto Rico, Berkeley and Oakland, CA before returning home to Cape Ann.
Tom loved so deeply, despite his gruff exterior. His beloved included surfing, being by the ocean, cheering for the Buffalo Bills, booing the Patriots, writing poetry, complimenting women of all ages, telling jokes, laughing at his own jokes, reading, playing Scrabble with his mom and grumbling about the state of the world.
He was stubborn, rebellious, hard-living, hard on himself and others and unable to rewrite the narrative of his life.
Tom's alcoholism and the struggles that came with it impacted his relationships and ability to live an actualized life.
He suffered greatly and he is suffering no longer. In Tom's honor, tell someone they are beautiful and maybe tell a bad pun or joke. Remember to laugh at it too! He is laughing with you.
Tom is survived by his mother, Margaret (Prescott) Wakeman of Gloucester; sister, Heidi Wakeman and her family, of Gloucester; sister, Sara Goss and her family, of San Jose, CA; aunt Gail Burchard, of Exeter, RI; cousins David Burchard and his family of Gloucester, MA and Cindy West and her family of Exeter, RI and former wife, Denise Torres of Goiânia, Brazil. He is also remembered by many friends and a special community at the YMCA Cape Ann Community Housing, where he lived for more than ten years.
Thomas is predeceased by his father, Thomas Singleton Wakeman, stepfather, Richard Taylor, and special dog, Honey.
We will celebrate Tom's life in the warmer months, near the ocean he loved so much.
"We can choose to believe the destiny of the U.S. is still manifest: global domination. Or we can seek a transformative vision that carries us forward, not backward. We can seek an origin narrative that lays the groundwork for a multicultural identity centered on the goals of social equity and democracy. We do have choices."-Elizabeth Martinez, 1998