BRUNSWICK — Thomas Perry True died peacefully at home in Brunswick, Maine, on June 30, 2016, of a probable heart attack, leaving behind many loving family members and friends both new and old. He is survived by his brother, Peter True, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and by his five children, John “Mac” McClenahan True (Yolanda do Campo) of New York, Alison True (Rick Mosher) of Chicago, Emily True (Adam Stanford) of San Ramon, California, Madeline True (Jeremy Kudan) of Chicago, and Jim True-Frost (Cora True-Frost) of Syracuse, New York, as well as his grandchildren Julia and Schuyler True, Henry and George Mosher, Clara and Jasper Stanford, and Leo and Phoebe True-Frost. Perry’s sister Katherine “Kay” True Bird Alvarez, of Newark, Delaware, passed away June 18, 2016, survived by many, including Lisa Bird Kelley and Ray Alvarez, of whom Perry was especially fond.

Perry was born in South Amboy, New Jersey, to Katherine “Kiki” McClenahan True and Frederick James True of Preston, England, a veteran of the First World War. They met on an Atlantic crossing, and before Perry was a year old they moved to Shanghai, where his father worked for DuPont and Perry attended the British Cathedral School. In 1936 they moved to Manila, and then in 1939 the Trues returned to the States, to Wilmington, Delaware.

Perry was given scholarships to Choate and Yale (class of 1950), where he played college football for only a few months before an injury dashed his dreams of gridiron glory. He apparently remembered his childhood steamship journeys fondly, as one of his favorite adventures involved a college spring-break cruise to Bermuda as a stowaway.

After graduating from Yale (1950) he enlisted as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and served in Japan during the Korean War, though instead of flying planes he preferred to work on the ground as a staff photographer. He met Vassar girl Valery Martin True (’55), now of Evanston, Illinois, when they were both working in New York City, and in 1959 they married and moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, to start a family. Perry’s work in corporate marketing for the likes of Continental Can, Ford, and Kimberly-Clark took them to various other locales, but they landed in 1971 in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois.

After the children had moved on, Perry and Val divorced in 1996, and Perry moved to Maine, a place he’d grown to love as a counselor at Camp Androscoggin. He moved to Wayne, the home of his dear friend Ruth Ault, and then later to Brunswick. Known for his warm smile and friendliness, he was described recently by a friend as “a kind, most forgiving man, who had a wonderful intellect and sense of humor.” For many years he enjoyed taking courses through Midcoast Senior College in Bath, where he also met his close friend Louise Hudson. A lifelong walking enthusiast, Perry put in at least a few miles nearly every day of his adult life. He had just returned from a grocery shopping trip before he passed away.

A memorial service will be held at 11 AM on Friday, July 15, at Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St., in Brunswick, followed by a reception. All are welcome, and friends are invited to share memories of Perry. Another memorial will be held July 30 in Chicago. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in honor of Perry to Midcoast Senior College or the Curtis Memorial Library. Perry’s association with these organizations made him very happy.