Dorgan, Thomas Austin

The obituary of Thomas Austin Dorgan, Jr. as it appeared in the Providence Journal on 22 January 2023.

Tom, the beloved husband, father, and friend passed peacefully at his home in The Villages, FL on January 7, 2023, from pulmonary fibrosis. Tom was born in Providence, RI, grew up in Warwick, raised his family in Scituate, and moved to The Villages, FL in 2004. In addition to his wife Anna and her two children Kimberly and Everett Dawkins, and Bethany and John Azevedo, he is survived by his children Stephanie (David), Mary Beth, and TJ, and their mother Anne Marie. He is also survived by his siblings Anne Marie Omweg, Kevin and Sandy Dorgan, Regina and Omer Bharoocha, Virginia and James Brosnan, and Monica and Kevin Madigan. He is predeceased by his parents, Thomas A. Dorgan and Ann D. Dorgan, and his sister Maureen Dorgan. Tom and Anna have nine beloved grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Tom kept close ties with people his entire life, organizing reunions and social media connections for St. Paul’s Elementary School and Bishop Hendricken High School, where he was part of the first graduating class. Tom proudly served his country in the US Army. He worked his entire career for Moore Business Forms (RR Donnelly) as a salesman throughout New England.
Athletics played a large part in Tom’s life, from scoring the first touchdown for the newly formed Hendricken football program to golf and shuffleboard in the Villages, to numerous softball teams until his “retirement” from The Villages over 70 league.

Tom’s love of travel took him all over the world. He took full advantage of the Villages’ social connections including organizing the Wednesday Night Hi-Lo-Jack Card League and serving as the president of the Rhode Island Club for six years.
Tom’s infectious smile and energy will be missed by his family and his many friends. There will be a celebration of life at O’Dell Recreation Center Friday, January 27th from 2:30 to 5:30. All are invited to come and share a ” Tom Dorgan Story.” We will hold another Celebration of his life in Rhode Island in the late spring. Details to follow.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made in Tom’s name to either https://cornerstonehospice.org/ or https://www.curesma.org/


The obituary of Thomas Austin Dorgan, Jr. as it appeared in the obituaries of the Baldwin Cremation Society:

Tom, beloved husband, father, brother, and friend passed peacefully at his home in The Villages, FL on January 7, 2023, from pulmonary fibrosis. Tom was born in Providence, RI, grew up in Warwick, raised his family in Scituate, and moved to The Villages, FL in 2004. In addition
to his wife Anna and her two daughters Kimberly and Everett Dawkins, and Bethany and John Azevedo, he is survived by his children Stephanie and husband, David, Mary Beth, and T), and their mother Anne Marie Dorgan. He is also survived by his siblings Anne Marie Omweg, Kevin and Sandy Dorgan, Regina and Omer Bharoocha, Virginia and James Brosnan, and Monica and Kevin Madigan. He is predeceased by his parents, Thomas A. Dorgan and Ann D. Dorgan, and his sister Maureen Dorgan. Tom and Anna have nine beloved grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Tom graduated from St. Paul's Elementary School in Cranston and Bishop Hendricken High School, where he was part of the first graduating class. Tom proudly served his country in the US Army. He worked his entire career for Moore Business Forms (RR Donnelly) as a salesman throughout New England.
Tom's infectious smile and energy will be missed by his family and his many friends. There will be a celebration of life in The Villages FL. at the O'Dell Recreation Center Friday, January 27th from 2:30
to 5:30. All are invited to come and share a " Tom Dorgan Story."
We will hold another Celebration of his life in Rhode Island in the late spring. Details to follow.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made in Tom's name to either https://corner-stonehospice.org/ or https://www.curesma.org/
For a full obituary see:

https://baldwincremation.com/obituaries/thomas-dorgan/


Monica Dorgan Martin, Tom’s sister, offered up this lovely tribute to Tom:

The day and hour has come, and all the preparation and understanding of concepts and experience still does not ease this pain of loss.

It’s hard to articulate in words the many sharp arrows death delivers to those who have loved and remain, often not even knowing themselves how deeply that love embedded itself into one’s heart.

My parents raised and instilled in all of us the Catholic faith. We were a family of kids that fought with words and hands, and we forgave with the same. We were instilled with the demand to protect and care for one another, to be loyal to one another, to try to understand and forgive one another.
As the youngest, this was very real to me as those teachings were the formations of who I am, what I understood family to be. I saw my older siblings living it out as best as they knew when we were kids and recognized it was expected of me as well.
That never leaves you as you age, it’s part of your character, your understanding of life at it’s core.

The first pains of loss come when one of the clan begins their own life outside of the home. It changes things, and with each succeeding sibling moving on… the loss was experienced again, but it is nothing like this, because that parting loss comes with expansion and joys of new celebrations and new life of nephews and nieces.

The death of a sibling is as stunning as it is dismantling.

So many memories.

I am going to miss the random calls that began with the very familiar: “..............Monica…………it’s your Brother Tom”. Those calls meant so much. In his last years he reached out for connection by offering a uniting of his siblings on a family text, he built up bridges that offered repair of the damaged roads that had existed between us and we were blessed by that act of courage and charity - yes courage because we are Dorgan’s and while we forgive, no one said it comes easily - that is just Dorgan irony, humor and reality. Tom also had the love to reach out, as an uncle, and important role model in the lives of my three daughters, to them and tell them he thought of them, cared for each of them and had an interest in their lives, their thoughts and dreams. This meant so much to each of them.

I know Tom’s spirit goes on and exists in a realm of eternity. That knowing does not allow one to escape the deep sadness I feel.

My comfort comes in envisioning his little sister Maureen escorting him to the Cross of Christ, after hugging him around the neck with a big smile and telling him she’s been waiting so long, then, there presenting him as her Big Brother Tom with great joy. She stands by him, holding his hand, looking up to Christ to stand as witness for her big brother.

I believe the measure of his faith, his acts of charity, forgiveness, love, piety will far outweigh the errors we all carry in our imperfection during this life.

Prayers up, Brother Tom,

Love,

Monica