WESTBROOK – Harold “Hal” W. Thomas, 91, passed away peacefully on Jan. 6, 2024 at Thornton Hall in Brunswick.

He was born in his grandmother’s house on North Street on Munjoy Hill in Portland and graduated from Portland High School and the University of Maine. He was a resident of Westbrook his entire adult life. Hal’s wife of 69 years, Jean, predeceased him in 2023. He was the father of six children.

He was an avid skier. For many years, he, Jean and the six kids packed into a station wagon and headed off to Mt. Abram or Sunday River every Saturday and Sunday. He became a longtime Sugarloafer in the ’70s, finally hanging up his skis in his 80s. He also played hockey into his 80s.

Hal and Jean travelled extensively and loved to meet new people, many of which became lifelong friends. He was a lifelong sailor, call sign “Ragtime”, annually sailing the Maine coast with a fleet of other boats.

Hal was active in the community in Westbrook; Jaycees in his 20s, Past President of Kiwanis, and decades of membership in the Westbrook-Gorham Rotary Club, where he served as President in the 1980s and was awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership in 2022. Hal was a board member of Westbrook Community Hospital and 75 State Street Senior Housing. He served terms as Chair in each of these. He served on Westbrook Sewer Commission for many years. He also served as Cub Scout Den Leader in Pack 70 for his sons. Hal served as District Chief for his college fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, for 10 years. Both Jean and Hal adored the hundreds of Betas they knew throughout their lives.

While serving at White Sands missile testing ground in the U.S. Army in the early 1950s, Hal was inspired to return to college to study electrical engineering. After working for New England Telephone, Hal made the bold move of starting his own consulting firm, Thomas Engineering, after his sixth child was born. He went on to perform electrical consulting design on over 100 schools, eight of Maine’s largest hospitals, worked on many of the office buildings in downtown Portland and the electrical design of Dimillo’s Floating Restaurant. Later in life, Hal became an accomplished watercolor painter.

He is survived by his daughters Karen Haines and husband Frank, of Ewing, N.J., Kathy Feenstra of Cape Elizabeth, and his sons and their spouses, John and Amanda of Bangor, Jim and Sandy of Cumberland, Bruce and Darby of Bedford, N.H., Greg and Patti of Carrabassett Valley; and family member, Gene MacVicar and his wife Dora of Windham…; plus his 20 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A family celebration of the lives of Hal and Jean will be held in the Spring.

Donations may be made to the scholarship funds of the

Westbrook Rotary Club (https://westbrookgorhamrotary.org/) or the

Westbrook Woman’s Club (https://www.facebook.com/WestbrookWomensClub/)

in their memory.

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