MILFORD/WEBSTER - The Rev. Thomas E. Chase, 78, formerly of Purchase St., died peacefully Sunday, December 21, in UMass Memorial Hospital, Worcester, surrounded by his family. His beloved wife of 53 years, Mary B. (Bowman) Chase, died November 11, 2004.
He leaves six children, Kathryn C. Corman of Milford, Thomas E. Chase, Jr. and his wife Valerie of Guilford, NH, Edie A. Ortiz and her husband Joseph of Milford, Stephen L. Chase of Columbus, GA, Deborah L. Chase of Augusta, Maine, and Kevin P. Chase of Shrewsbury; a brother, Robert R. Chase of Fairhaven; a sister, Grace Eastwood of Albuquerque, NM; 13 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; nephews and nieces.
He was born and raised in New Bedford, a son of Andrew and Edith (Mack) Chase, and lived there 50 years. He graduated from New Bedford High School in 1948. In 1979, he moved to Bangor ME where he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maine and a Master of Divinity from Bangor Theological Seminary in 1984, when he was ordained to the priesthood.
For over 25 years, he was a printer at the New Bedford Standard Times and the Fall River Herald News. As a priest, he served in Maine as an associate until being named rector of the Church of the Reconciliation in Webster in 1986, where he served until 1994. He then was rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Sutton from 1995 to 2001, when he retired.
He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Milford, the rector emeritus of the Church of the Reconciliation in Webster, and was a full instructor at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. He was originally a member of the Masonic Temple in New Bedford and then a member of the George H. Tabor Masonic Lodge in Fairhaven, where he served as master twice and as district deputy from 1972 to1974. He belonged to the Quinatisset Grange in Thompson, CT and the Azab grotto in Dudley. He was a former member of the Webster-Dudley Rotary Club, and had been named a Paul Harris Fellow.
The funeral will be held Saturday, December 27, at 11:00 AM in the Church of the Reconciliation, 5 North Main Street, Webster. The Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Mass., will preside. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. Calling hours will be from 4:00 to 8:00 PM Friday, December 26, in the Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, 340 School Street, Webster, MA. Donations in his memory may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.