Deceased March 29, 2010
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In Memory
Word was received recently of the passing of “Thatch” Rea. No details were available and an e-mail canvass to classmates yielded no information. From college sources, and especially from his own testimony to The Class Album at our 50th Reunion, the following has been gleaned.
Thatch was born in Detroit on May 21, 1928, graduated from Amherst with us and went on to Harvard for an M.B.A. in 1952. He married Mary Cobane the next year, and they had four children, Thatcher III, Laura, Carol and John. He had resided in Holland, Mich., in his last years.
The following comments are from Thatch’s own memoir in 2000. He recalls many happy times as a student, mentioning Steketee, Den Uyl and [Bob] Smith at North College as freshmen. As a bon vivant at Psi Upsilon, he credited Keith and Galbreath with rescuing him from the evil distractions of beer, tobacco, flicks and women from adjoining campuses and putting him on the straight and narrow.
Successful in various businesses around the country, he wound up with his own furniture company. His health suffered from genetic cardiac problems, including a triple bypass operation.
Anyone wishing to express sentiments or reminiscences is invited to post comments below.
Ray Vigneault ’50