Thomas Babbin, age 58, of Natick, passed away on May 13, 2011 at Avery Manor in Needham, after five months of bravely attempting to recover from a cerebral hemorrhage. Thomas was the beloved husband of Sophia Bilides, with whom he shared 35 wonderful years. He also leaves behind his two little white dogs Rita and Roza, his younger brothers and sister Robert Babbin, James Babbin, and Mary DuFresne and their families, and a wide and diverse circle of friends reflecting his many interests and accomplishments.
Edward Thomas Babbin (known by his middle name) was born in Newton on May 2, 1953, the son of the late Frank and Agnes (Hingston) Babbin. Thomas earned a Bachelors Degree of Music in Music Education and a Masters Degree of Music in Musicology, both from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was a folk dancer and multi-instrumentalist, and performed with the Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble and the Sophia Bilides Greek Trio. He founded and operated E. Thomas Compact Discs, a CD store in Northampton, which specialized in classical, jazz, folk, and ethnic music. Self-taught in computers, he went on to join Boston College as an Information Technology Consultant, where he solved innumerable computer problems and challenges for 14 years, and was much admired and respected by his colleagues.
Thomas was an avid builder of ship and aircraft models (several of which won awards), and an active member of numerous modeling clubs. He was also an avid bird watcher and nature photographer, always listening and looking for the best shot. He enjoyed hiking on Cape Cod, canoeing the Charles River, touring tall ships, following the Red Sox, reading (especially science fiction and history), listening to many kinds of music, and spending time with his family and friends. Gentle and soft-spoken, he was known for his deep kindness, patient helpfulness, broad knowledge, and wonderfully dry sense of humor. He was an exceptionally decent man who left too soon and is greatly missed by all who knew him.
A memorial tribute page for Thomas, including many remembrances and photos, can be viewed at http://www.SophiaBilides.com.