Thomas Elkinton

Thomas Elkinton passed away Monday September 24, 2018, at the Sugar Hill

Retirement Community, in Wolfeboro, NH. Tom was born in Moorestown, NJ on July

16, 1921, on his mother’s birthday. He was the son of the late Thomas W. Elkinton and

Elizabeth West Roberts Elkinton. He was a graduate of Moorestown Friends School,

Deerfield Academy and Haverford College. He was a life long member of the religious

Society of Friends (Quakers.) Tom Married his high school sweetheart, Helen Archer

Develin, in March 1942 while he was still at Haverford College. They never thought

their parents would allow that!

After a two year tour of duty in the Navy during WWII, Tom and Helen settled down in

Haddonfield, NJ where they lived for 25 years and enjoyed raising their three children.

His business career was spent at Philadelphia Quartz Company, carrying on the family

business as the fifth generation of the founders. PQ as it became known, was started in

1831 as a soap and candle company.

By 1974 Helen and Tom moved to New Hampshire and started a new venture, clothing

shops in a little resort town called Wolfeboro, on Lake Winnipesaukee. Eventually their

children came along and bailed them out and went on to develop several shops around

the lakes region. By 1986 Helen and Tom completely retired and spent winters in

Florida and summers in New Hampshire. Sadly for Tom and his family, Helen died

suddenly of a brain hemorrhage, January 4, 1991. From then on Tom spent most of his

time in NH where he loved being, as he could garden, boat, golf, ski and attend

meetings of the church and other volunteer organizations. Plus he loved to attend as

many of his grandchildren’s activities as possible.

Several years later Tom had an unexpected joy when he married Barbara Mills in

August of 1997. She was a widow and an active member of the Congregational Church

and many other volunteer organizations of Wolfeboro. She had only one child, but

always wished for a large family. Barbara and Tom enjoyed many large family

gatherings for birthdays, anniversaries and special holidays. But sadly for Tom and his

family, Barbara died of cancer June 4, 2012 after a four year battle. Tom then decided it

was time to down size and move to Sugar Hill Retirement Community, in Wolfeboro.

He is survived by many family members including a son Thomas W. Elkinton II and his

wife Linda and daughter Debra Grott, daughter Elizabeth E. Roark and husband Gregg,

children Gregg Jr., Mark and Katherine Ling, son Richard D. Elkinton and wife Lynn, and daughters Hannah and Margaret. Tom had six grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and even one great great grandchild.

Memorial Service will be held on Oct 10, 2018 at 2pm at The First Congregational Church 
Wolfeboro, NH

Donations in Tom’s memory may be made to the Wolfeboro Area Children’s Center, 180 South Main Street, Wolfeboro, NH, 03894.

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