Thomas James Monahan

Thomas “Tom” James Monahan, 88, of Whitefield, NH, passed away peacefully on May 29, 2024, at Morrison Nursing Home. Tom was an engaged and loving husband, father and grandfather, and a caring older brother and son. He was a North Country treasure, educating and coaching generations of kids, serving his country in the military, and, in his later years, volunteering his time to welcome visitors to the Lancaster area.

Tom was born in North Conway, NH, on July 14, 1935, the oldest of five children to Thomas J. Monahan, Sr., and Phyllis (Foley) Monahan. Due to his father’s work in the logging industry, the family moved frequently, and Tom grew up in several communities across northern New England, including New Hampshire towns like Laconia, Bartlett, and Conway, as well as Fair Haven, Vermont. Finally settling in North Stratford, NH, Tom attended and graduated from Stratford High School in 1953.

Tom pursued his passion in education at Plymouth State University and was a student teacher at Plymouth Elementary and Plymouth Jr High. Following his graduation in 1957, he moved to Lincoln and became the first male teacher at Lincoln Elementary School from 1957-1959.

While in Lincoln, he met Martha Kiniry and they married in 1959, they would go on to raise three children together – Judy, Michael, and Susan – and dote on their two grandchildren Tyler and Brooke.

Shortly after Tom and Martha married, Tom enlisted in the US Army, serving stateside from 1959-1961. Following his service, they moved to Lancaster, NH, and Tom began a long and fulfilling career at Groveton Elementary, where he taught math for a decade, and then became the school’s principal in 1971, a role he continued until his retirement in 1996. Throughout his time at Groveton, Tom coached basketball and soccer, combining his love of sport with his talent as an educator, impacting the lives of countless kids. Tom carried that passion into coaching his grandchildren Tyler and Brooke Ramsdell in Whitefield and Lancaster.

In his retirement, Tom spent more time fishing and staying on top of sports, from his favorite professional teams – Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots – to New Hampshire high school sports. He had incredible recall of player and team stats, always informed and enthusiastic about Granite State athletes and the pros alike.

Tom volunteered for many years at the Lancaster Welcome Center, where he would help tourists discover the area and enchant them with stories of the North Country. He also volunteered at Weeks Medical, where he received the Volunteer of the Year award.

Tom kept strong ties with his parents and extended family. He and his family were regulars at family gatherings on Albany Avenue in Bartlett. Tom also carried on a family tradition of visiting Livermore, a former township where his father and grandparents lived in the late 19th through early 20th centuries. A history buff, Tom helped keep Livermore’s history alive by sharing his family’s recollections of the once thriving mill town. (See “Tom Monahan Remembers Livermore” https://youtu.be/zWUyKQkpa-U?si=wMCUKTSobduultKU )

Tom is survived by his daughters and their spouses Judy and Robert Ramsdell of Whitefield, NH, and Susan and Stephen Haggerty of Watertown, MA, and his grandson Tyler Ramsdell of Tampa, FL; siblings Mary Merrow of Center Conway, NH, and David Monahan of Keene, NH; nieces and nephews Kathleen Borruso, James LaPierre, Kara Gross, David Birkbeck, Colleen Arons, and Kate Fowler; and grand-nieces and grand-nephews Carrie LaPierre, Lucy Arons, Matthew Fowler, Eliza Arons, Cullen Fowler, and Isaac Arons.

Tom was predeceased by his wife Martha Kiniry Monahan, his son Michael Monahan, and granddaughter Brooke Ramsdell; his parents, Thomas J. Monahan, Sr., and Phyllis (Foley) Monahan; his sisters, Nancy Monahan and Carol LaPierre; and his niece, Melissa Monahan.

Visiting hours are 4:00-7:00 pm Sunday, June 2, at Bailey Funeral Home in Lancaster. Tom’s funeral will be held at 11:00 am Monday, June 3, at All Saints Church in Lancaster.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Brooke Ramsdell Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Jean Oleson, 35 Portland Street, Lancaster, NH 03584.