John Milton Perkins Thatcher III
Died November 26, 2006
In his 25th reunion essay Terry Thatcher wrote: “Both my wife and I have had the opportunity of living and raising a family in the community in which we were raised; an increasingly rare occurrence in our increasingly transient society.”
Terry met his wife, Peggy, in the third grade at Greenwich Country Day School. His daughter, Katie, says that, except for the seven years they spent apart at boarding school and college, they were constant companions.
Arriving at Yale from Hotchkiss, Terry was a member of Ezra Stiles College and majored in history of art. After graduation, he attended the American University School of International Service.
He and Peggy were married in 1970. They settled in Greenwich, CT, where they raised their four children. Terry worked for IBM for 15 years, and then embarked on a second career in real estate before retiring and dedicating himself to charitable pursuits.
The Thatchers spent their summers on Martha’s Vineyard. He was an avid sailor both in Greenwich and on the Vineyard.
Katie Thatcher remembers her father as “an active and loving parent who enjoyed frequent ski trips, tennis games and spirited conversations with his kids.” She says, “he had a quick wit, an eccentric sense of humor and enormous energy for life.”
In 2004 Terry’s wife, Peggy, died in an auto mobile accident. They had been married for 34 years. Terry wrote a poem which he read at her memorial service. Titled A Sailor’s Elegy; it reads in part:
In the solitude of the night watch the sailor is with the wind and the stars.
The wind can be changeable – blowing fitful gusts and light zephyrs.
But the good sailor knows how to adjust his sails to accommodate the changes…
What he fears is when the winds return to the heavens.
In the doldrums there is no progress – life cannot go forth.
The sails are slack, the water flat. The agony is endless.
Leaving only hope for their return.
My wife like the winds came from heaven.
Sadly she will not return.
My wife like the winds came from heaven. Sadly she will not return.
After a brief illness, Terry died on November 26, 2006 while on vacation in Florida with his family. He and Peggy are survived by their children Peggy, Katie, Jack and Tina.