Thomas J. Hennessey Jr.
Bangor
Thomas J. Hennessey Jr. died on December 14, 2018 after a year-long battle from complications related to hemochromatosis. He was born in Bangor, Maine on February 25, 1937, son of Thomas J. Hennessey Sr. and Margaret MacDonald Hennessey. Tom attended St Mary’s School in Bangor until moving to South Brewer, where he lived with his grandparents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Duncan L. MacDonald. He attended John Bapst High School until his senior year, when reluctantly, he moved with his parents to Wakefield, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Wakefield High School in 1954. Not surprisingly, Tom wasted no time in taking a train back to Maine and South Brewer.
Tom served honorably in the U.S. Army, 1956-1958. Afterward he worked at the Eastern Pulp and Fine Paper Mill in South Brewer. In 1959 he entered the apprentice printer program at the Bangor Daily News. On completing the six-year program, Tom worked in the paper’s composing room as a journeyman printer, including time in the photo engraving department. In 1977 he left the composing room to become the BDN’s illustrator. Additionally, he wrote and illustrated an outdoors column that attracted the attention of the paper’s outdoors-oriented readership.
In the meantime, Tom’s paintings of sporting scenes were gaining wide-spread recognition. The late Dr. Frank P. Gilley, a Bangor orthodontist and avid sportsman, introduced Tom’s artwork to the Crossroads of Sport Gallery in New York City. Though Tom doubted that his paintings were accomplished enough for representation at the prestigious midtown-Manhattan gallery, he received a letter of acceptance from the director, who later arranged two one-man shows of Tom’s paintings. A one-man show of his work also was presented at the late John Payson’s Hobe Sound Gallery in Hobe Sound, Florida. Accordingly, his paintings were represented in major group shows of sporting art.
In 1972 Tom won the Charles L. Fox Purchase Prize in a show featuring Maine artists at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine. In 1975 he won the first competition for the Massachusetts Duck Stamp. In 1977 one of Tom’s salmon-fishing paintings was auctioned at the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s annual banquet in Montreal, Canada; thus initiating the federation’s Artist of the Year program. Furthermore, Tom was one of 30 artists commissioned to provide the paintings for Canada Ducks Unlimited’s Portfolio of North American Waterfowl, published in 1987. Moreover, Tom was the author of three books: “Feathers ‘n Fins”, published jointly by the National Sporting Fraternity Limited and Bangor Publishing Company; “Handy to Home” published by Down East Books, Camden, Maine; “Leave Some for Seed” published by Islandport Press, Yarmouth, Maine. His illustrations and stories appeared in many books and major sporting magazines.
When the late “Bud” Leavitt, long-time BDN outdoors writer retired in 1988, Tom was named to that position. From then until his retirement he wrote and illustrated columns and features about nature, wildlife, hunting, fishing, trapping and all of the associated activities and traditions important to Maine sportsmen and the state’s economy. In practicing what he preached, Tom donated original paintings and limited-edition prints to fund-raising auctions of conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Atlantic Salmon Federation to name a few. He was a member of the Penobscot Salmon Club, Eddington Salmon Club, Veazie Salmon Club, Bucks Mills Rod and Gun Club.
Tom married Nancy Jo Lobley of Bangor in 1960. They had four children. He is survived by his wife Nancy; three children, Jeffrey Michael Hennessey of Monroe, Maine and his companion, Sonya Eldridge, of Hermon, Maine, Julie Ann Marston and her husband, Matthew Marston Sr., of Otis, Maine, and Hope Ellen Hennessey of Dallas, Texas; a sister, Margaret Duggan and her husband, Jeremiah Duggan, of Braintree, Mass.; a grandson, Matthew Marston Jr. and his wife, Alyssa, of Hampden, Maine; granddaughters Meagan Marston Varian and her husband, Karl Varian of Brunswick, Maine, and Brianna Hennessey of Boulder, Colorado; great grandson Jason Thomas Marston of Hampden, Maine; nephews John O’Toole and Thomas O’Toole of Veazie, Maine, John Duggan of Dorchester, Mass., and Paul Duggan of Braintree, Mass.; a niece, Elizabeth O’Toole and her husband Fred Reynolds of Gouldsboro, Maine; and several cousins. In addition to his parents, Tom was predeceased by an infant daughter, Jill Hennessey, a sister Suzanne O’Toole of Bangor, Maine, a niece Doreen Duggan of Braintree, Mass., several special aunts and uncles, and 12 memorable bird dogs.
The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Northern Lights Hospice, EMMC and Hampden Family Medicine for their skilled and compassionate care.
At Tom’s request, there will be no services. Donations in his memory can be made to the Bangor Humane Society, 693-B Mount Hope Avenue, Bangor, ME 04401.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Thomas Hennessey, Jr., please visit our flower store.
Bangor
Thomas J. Hennessey Jr. died on December 14, 2018 after a year-long battle from complications related to hemochromatosis. He was born in Bangor, Maine on February 25, 1937, son of Thomas J. Hennessey Sr. and Margaret MacDonald Hennessey. Tom attended St Mary’s School in Bangor until moving to South Brewer, where he lived with his grandparents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Duncan L. MacDonald. He attended John Bapst High School until his senior year, when reluctantly, he moved with his parents to Wakefield, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Wakefield High School in 1954. Not surprisingly, Tom wasted no time in taking a train back to Maine and South Brewer.
Tom served honorably in the U.S. Army, 1956-1958. Afterward he worked at the Eastern Pulp and Fine Paper Mill in South Brewer. In 1959 he entered the apprentice printer program at the Bangor Daily News. On completing the six-year program, Tom worked in the paper’s composing room as a journeyman printer, including time in the photo engraving department. In 1977 he left the composing room to become the BDN’s illustrator. Additionally, he wrote and illustrated an outdoors column that attracted the attention of the paper’s outdoors-oriented readership.
In the meantime, Tom’s paintings of sporting scenes were gaining wide-spread recognition. The late Dr. Frank P. Gilley, a Bangor orthodontist and avid sportsman, introduced Tom’s artwork to the Crossroads of Sport Gallery in New York City. Though Tom doubted that his paintings were accomplished enough for representation at the prestigious midtown-Manhattan gallery, he received a letter of acceptance from the director, who later arranged two one-man shows of Tom’s paintings. A one-man show of his work also was presented at the late John Payson’s Hobe Sound Gallery in Hobe Sound, Florida. Accordingly, his paintings were represented in major group shows of sporting art.
In 1972 Tom won the Charles L. Fox Purchase Prize in a show featuring Maine artists at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine. In 1975 he won the first competition for the Massachusetts Duck Stamp. In 1977 one of Tom’s salmon-fishing paintings was auctioned at the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s annual banquet in Montreal, Canada; thus initiating the federation’s Artist of the Year program. Furthermore, Tom was one of 30 artists commissioned to provide the paintings for Canada Ducks Unlimited’s Portfolio of North American Waterfowl, published in 1987. Moreover, Tom was the author of three books: “Feathers ‘n Fins”, published jointly by the National Sporting Fraternity Limited and Bangor Publishing Company; “Handy to Home” published by Down East Books, Camden, Maine; “Leave Some for Seed” published by Islandport Press, Yarmouth, Maine. His illustrations and stories appeared in many books and major sporting magazines.
When the late “Bud” Leavitt, long-time BDN outdoors writer retired in 1988, Tom was named to that position. From then until his retirement he wrote and illustrated columns and features about nature, wildlife, hunting, fishing, trapping and all of the associated activities and traditions important to Maine sportsmen and the state’s economy. In practicing what he preached, Tom donated original paintings and limited-edition prints to fund-raising auctions of conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Atlantic Salmon Federation to name a few. He was a member of the Penobscot Salmon Club, Eddington Salmon Club, Veazie Salmon Club, Bucks Mills Rod and Gun Club.
Tom married Nancy Jo Lobley of Bangor in 1960. They had four children. He is survived by his wife Nancy; three children, Jeffrey Michael Hennessey of Monroe, Maine and his companion, Sonya Eldridge, of Hermon, Maine, Julie Ann Marston and her husband, Matthew Marston Sr., of Otis, Maine, and Hope Ellen Hennessey of Dallas, Texas; a sister, Margaret Duggan and her husband, Jeremiah Duggan, of Braintree, Mass.; a grandson, Matthew Marston Jr. and his wife, Alyssa, of Hampden, Maine; granddaughters Meagan Marston Varian and her husband, Karl Varian of Brunswick, Maine, and Brianna Hennessey of Boulder, Colorado; great grandson Jason Thomas Marston of Hampden, Maine; nephews John O’Toole and Thomas O’Toole of Veazie, Maine, John Duggan of Dorchester, Mass., and Paul Duggan of Braintree, Mass.; a niece, Elizabeth O’Toole and her husband Fred Reynolds of Gouldsboro, Maine; and several cousins. In addition to his parents, Tom was predeceased by an infant daughter, Jill Hennessey, a sister Suzanne O’Toole of Bangor, Maine, a niece Doreen Duggan of Braintree, Mass., several special aunts and uncles, and 12 memorable bird dogs.
The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Northern Lights Hospice, EMMC and Hampden Family Medicine for their skilled and compassionate care.
At Tom’s request, there will be no services. Donations in his memory can be made to the Bangor Humane Society, 693-B Mount Hope Avenue, Bangor, ME 04401.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.
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