Thomas J, Curchin, MD, of East Montpelier, Vt., left this lovely world on September 21, 2024.
He was born on April 13, 1956, in Red Bank, N.J., the middle child of five children of Kenneth and Thelma Curchin. Raised in Fair Haven, N.J., it was a perfect childhood. His dad was a barber, and his mom was a devoted and incredibly supportive stay-at-home mom. Summers were spent at the beach every day with complete freedom.
Tom attended Brown University in Providence, R.I. The best part of that experience was taking a year off from school and biking across the country with his close friends, Tony Siesfeld and Susan Adams. He also worked at a casino in Lake Tahoe before finding his way to work at Spring Lake Ranch in Cuttingsville, Vt., a small psychiatric therapeutic community.
A love of Vermont and all things outdoors grew from that experience. The idea of going to medical school came as well. Tom enrolled at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1982. After graduating, he completed a family medicine residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa., before returning to Vermont to practice.
While visiting Spring Lake Ranch during medical school, he met Sarah Kinter, the love of his life. He and Sarah were soulmates from the first time they met and were married in 1988. They were blessed with three wonderful children. They had a beautiful life together at their home in East Montpelier, alongside their beloved community. There were many adventures, including two years living in the territory of American Samoa, where Tom ran the emergency room while Sarah competed in outrigger canoe races.
Tom loved hanging out with family and friends, hiking, biking, Nordic skiing, gardening and reading. With a busy life, it took 40 years to complete section-hiking the Long Trail. Seeing the world was important: exploring the beautiful American Southwest and coastal Maine, the nations of the Pacific, Central America, Mexico, hiking the Alps, and walking the Camino de Santiago with Sarah was deeply moving.
Tom was blessed with many years of medical practice with incredible partners and staff. He was grateful for each and every patient he had and the lives they shared with him. With the diagnosis of ALS, retirement came quickly, and he regretted not saying goodbye to each of them.
Tom was an incredible father. He brought his kids on every adventure, usually fueled by his famous blueberry muffins and a good story. He filled their life with laughter and warmth and was always willing to lend an ear. He taught them to trust in their decisions and love the journey.
Tom is survived by his wife, Sarah Kinter; his son, William, and his wife, Karah Lothian, and their son, Callum Thomas; his eldest daughter, Alice, and her husband, Sean Dolan; and his youngest daughter, Emma. He is also survived by his sister Judy and her husband, Richard Preston; his brother Ken, and his wife, Claudia Curchin; and his sister Linda and her husband, Charles Montgomery. His younger brother Larry and his parents, Thelma and Ken, predeceased him. At home are his beloved corgis, Tasha and Sparky, and two barn cats, Kitty and Kitty.
In his memory, please be kind to each other and go have an adventure. If you feel so inclined, he requested that donations be made in his honor to the
Vermont Food Bank. A memorial will be held on October 19 at the Old Meeting House in East Montpelier at 2 p.m.