Thomas James Cairns Sr.

07/21/2007

Thomas James Cairns Sr., 78, of Division Street died Saturday at home. Born in Hartford, Conn., on Sept. 4, 1928, son of Robert and Ethel Cairns Cairns, he attended schools in Canaan, Conn., including Housatonic Valley Regional High School. He lived in Canaan until 1953, when he moved to Great Barrington. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War. Mr. Cairns retired from Rising Paper Co. as a boiler operator with many years of service. He was a member of United Methodist Church in Lenox and a former longtime active member of United Methodist Church in Great Barrington. He was a former member of Occidental Lodge AF&AM and of the Melha Temple Shriners. He was a New York Yankees fan, a coin collector and a bird watcher. He and his wife, the former Ruth Rahm, were married Sept. 20, 1953, at United Methodist Church. Besides his wife, he leaves a son, Thomas J. Cairns Jr. of the town of Washington; a daughter, Gail Sharry of Westerly, R.I.; and two grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- The funeral for Thomas J. Cairns Sr., who died Saturday, July 21, 2007, will be conducted Wednesday, July 25, at 10 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Lenox by the Rev. Valerie M. Roberts-Toler of Lenox and the Rev. Robert Withers of Woodstock, Va. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery in Great Barrington. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME in Great Barrington. Those who desire may make donations in Mr. Cairns' memory to the American Cancer Society for the benefit of Relay for Life through the funeral home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Mr. Cairns also leaves a daughter-in-law, Chris; a son-in-law, Joseph; two grandchildren, Shauna Cairns and Thomas J. Cairns III. A brother, Henry, and a sister, Mary, are deceased.

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