South Ryegate, VT – Determined to leave on his own time, wrapped in the love of his family and friends and guided by the excellent support provided by the Jack Byrne Center  for Palliative and Hospice Care, Thomas C. "Lefty" Elliott, Sr., 75, passed away on October 18, 2018, in Lebanon, NH, following a period of declining health.

He was born on February 16, 1943, in Haverhill, NH to Russell D. Elliott and Clarissa A. (Robinson) Elliott and spent his early years in Woodsville, NH.  He graduated from Woodsville High School in the class of 1962.  A gifted athlete, he was a three sport star playing four years of varsity soccer, playing on the 1959 Class M Baseball Championship team as a freshman, and scoring more than nine hundred points in basketball while being recognized for his unselfish play.  His high school yearbook identified him as "every coach's dream".

He entered the Air Force after graduation and trained at Lackland AFB in Texas, and later at Lowry AFB in Colorado where he attended a technical training course for nuclear weapons specialists.  He served overseas in Italy for three years where his son Thomas Jr. was born and where he was able to continue his athletic career.  Traveling with a baseball team he was referred to as the American Home Run Hitter.

Returning home to Vermont he worked in construction on Route 91 for several years.  Later he owned and managed Your Neighborhood Grocery in South Ryegate, VT while continuing to execute his skills playing softball in The Wells River League.  After selling his business he went to work for the Grafton County Correctional Center in North Haverhill, NH as a security officer.  He retired in 2005 after thirteen years of service.

In retirement he spent time hunting and fishing, chasing the big buck from Vermont to New Hampshire and towing his boat to Long Pond where his father taught him to fly fish.

He spent time painting houses where his reputation was that of a perfectionist.  He found a niche in his work restoring furniture where his attention to detail won both praise and returning customers.  Fastidious to a fault according to us amateurs he was fond of saying with a wry smile that "people paint differently".

Occasionally he ventured to the Wild Ammonoosuc with his brother Garry to pan for gold in an apparently unsuccessful search for the mother lode.

As his health deteriorated he settled into a routine that kept him closer to home.  He was the go to guy when anyone shot a deer and needed it cut up.  He spent many hours over a number of months painting Nick's barn the way it should be painted.  He was as meticulous mowing his neighbor's lawn as he was restoring old furniture.  Caretaker of all property when neighbors were away he made sure that cats, dogs, and chickens were in good hands.  Passionate in his fondness for the Boston Red Sox he managed them every evening religiously from the end of Elliott Road and complained about them tirelessly the next day while reviewing the box scores.

There will be no more regular accounting of deer and bear sightings.  No more old furniture in Nick's barn waiting for another battle with sandpaper.  No more games of horse featuring left handed set shots from the top of the key.  No more watching Clarissa's children hanging off the porch yelling and waving to "Uncle Tom".  No more red truck making its slow and deliberate daily mid-morning journey to Dunkin Donuts and Jiffy Mart for the paper and coffee, rounding off the ritual with a stop at the South Ryegate Post Office.  After thirty plus years the patriarch of Elliott Road has stopped tending to and being tended to by his neighbors and friends.

Left handed first basemen who can hit with power are rare.  Rarer still are those who have a chip on their shoulder just big enough to give them a competitive edge.  Some coach in the next league just got lucky.  There's a rare one coming.

He is survived by his son Thomas C. Elliott Jr. and wife Jodie of Ryegate, VT, grandson  Thomas Elliott 3rd, and wife Taryn of Westfield, NJ; daughter Evelyn Cue and husband Christopher, son Shaun of Pass Christian, MS; daughter Tammy Harrison and husband Jesse, children Garrett Aldrich, Shelby Carter and Chad Harrison of Arlington, TX; stepson Jamie Applebee and wife Devon, sons Liam and Riley of Hartland, VT; stepson Stephen Applebee and wife Jen, son Austin of Monroe, NH; brother Garry Elliott and wife Elaine of Haverhill; brother Stephan Elliott and wife Barbara of Ryegate, VT; sister Sherry Lacey and husband Don of Lebanon, NH; nieces and nephews Ben, Carol Hannah, Trish, Clarissa, Rusty and Jim.

At his request there will be no calling hours and no service.

Memorial contributions can be made to Mills Memorial Field, PO Box 106, South Ryegate, VT 05069 to help maintain the field for future softball stars.