Thomas A. "Tom" Boardman, age 65, of Liberty Estates, Attleboro, died Saturday, June 23, 2012. He was the loving companion of Audrey M. (Wadsworth) Poitras, who cared for him during his lingering illness. Thomas was born in Fall River, the son of the late William R. Boardman and the late Dorothy M. (Skiff) Boardman. He spent his youth in Fall River, moved to Attleboro in the mid-seventies, living at 37 Prescott Street for many years with his former wife Judith (DePaola) Boardman, and summered in Marion (MA) for over fifty years. He was the brother of the late William R. Boardman, Jr. and the late Richard E. Boardman. Survivors include his son Jeffrey Thomas Boardman and his wife Kerri (Tuttle) Boardman and his daughter Kelly Elizabeth Boardman and two grandsons Daniel and Joel. Thomas was a member of the First Congregational Church of Fall River in his later years. He was a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, Class of 1967, where he excelled in sports, having played soccer and championship basket ball, as well as having run track. While in high school, he was employed part-time as a dietary aid and went on to become a full-time orderly for the former Union - now Charlton Memorial Hospital and became an Emergency Room Technician and EMT. He was a 1969 graduate of the Diman School of Nursing with highest honors, and Stonehill College with a degree in Criminal Justice, Class of 1978. Tom retired in 1992 as Fire Chief for the Foxboro Company Fire Department, a position he held for eleven years. He was actively involved as a member of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Union. Previously, he had served as a Massachusetts Corrections Officer, rising to the rank of Captain, at the former Walpole Correction Institute, now called Cedar Junction, and the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Boston, receiving seven commendations. A CPR/ First Aid Instructor, he trained many of the Massachusetts correctional employees and State troopers. Tom came in first in testing for and became a Hostage Intervention Specialist in Massachusetts. After retirement from the Foxboro Company Fire Department, Tom worked for the VA Hospital in Providence (RI) as a psychiatric nurse, until a serious injury forced his early retirement. All is not glory in the field of corrections, as Tom learned when he was nearly fatally stabbed by an inmate during a prison uprising. Thomas was a consultant to Peter Remik, an inmate who wrote the book In Constant Fear, depicting the prison conditions during the prison uprisings. One of Tom's proudest contributions prior to his disabling injury, was to drive to Boston on a cold winter night and seek out the homeless and convince them to let him take them to the "Pine Street Inn", a homeless shelter serving the Boston area. His hobbies included gardening, sailing, fishing, and restoring old Volkswagens. He also owned racing pigeons for many years and was a member and former treasurer of the Rhode Island Pigeon Club. Tom was a member of the P.E.A.L. Club of Attleboro and a supporter of the Bridges of Hope ministry of the Attleboro Salvation Army. His funeral will take place on Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 10am in the WARING-SULLIVAN HOME OF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE AT CHERRY PLACE 178 Winter St., Fall River. Visiting hours Thursday from 5 to 8pm in the DYER-LAKE Funeral Home - 161 Commonwealth Avenue (exit 5 off I-95 N or S, go right at end of ramp, 3/4 mile on left), North Attleboro and Friday from 5 to 8pm at CHERRY PLACE in Fall River. Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to the Salvation Army 5 Mechanic St., Attleboro, MA 02703. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Fall River. For directions or to send a tribute visit:
www.waring-sullivan.com