Founded Barrett Insurance, which continues as a local independent agency
As the sugar maples tipped with autumn color began their winter rest, Thomas Rutledge Barrett passed away on September 16, 2025, after a brief illness, at his beloved Anooka Farm, among his family. Nancy, his dear wife of 66 years, passed in April and we are grateful they are together.
Tom was born in 1936, to Mary and John Barrett in Hartford, Connecticut, the first of four children. Summers at the family cottage on Lake Hayward were a favorite childhood memory. Tom was educated in parochial schools through the 10th grade and graduated from Weaver High School. He attended Trinity College in Hartford graduating with a psychology degree and a US Airforce ROTC commission. He was stationed in England with his new wife Nancy whom he married in 1958. There, in a cottage, in the tiny village of Snape, they began their family, enjoyed travelling in Europe, and learned to ski in the Alps. In 1962, Tom and Nancy returned to the US with three children and settled in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It was there that Tom began his lifelong career in insurance. In 1965 Tom and Nancy, now with five children, moved north to New Hampshire, eventually settling at Anooka Farm in Hooksett, which became the treasured family home for decades of living and celebrations. In 1971, tapping his entrepreneurial spirit, Tom founded Barrett Insurance, a local insurance agency which continues today, led by his son Matt with his wife Judy.
Tom pursued the adventurous sports of sailing and skiing with a competitive zeal. He haggled for his first boat at 26, and after that point he always had at least one vessel. His last, acquired at age 88, is still primed and ready to cruise Lake Sunapee. From a home port of Kittery, Maine, Tom and his family cruised and raced sailboats from Camden, Maine to Block Island, Rhode Island. Excursions included the Caribbean and Greek islands and a trip down the Intracoastal Waterway. Winters found the family skiing and racing at Mt Sunapee and Cannon, where he developed a deep love for the sport that continues with his grandchildren. Tom clicked into his skis well into his 80s.
Tom was the longest serving member of the Manchester Rotary Club. He joined in 1972 and enjoyed the Monday meetings and speakers immensely. He visited Rotary Clubs around the world, hosted exchange students, and found joy helping the kids in Interact, a Rotary youth program. Tom received the Paul Harris Fellow award for his contributions to the Rotary mission.
Tom and Nancy supported local organizations and schools through the Barrett Family Foundation. Their final gift together is a media center and conference room to Trinity High School in 2025.
Tom leaves a brother, Tim Barrett, of North Carolina; sister, Ann Goodwin, of Colorado; daughter Wendy Gettel and her husband Roger of Merrimack, their children Eliza and Tucker; son Christopher Barrett and his wife Tracy of Loudon, their children Erin and Caitlin; son Matthew Barrett and his wife Judy of Goffstown, her children Lauren and Bradley; daughter Judith Currier and her husband, Frank Wilich, of Bethlehem, her children Megan and Bridget; and son Ken Barrett of Priest River, ID. Tom also leaves two great grandsons, Lyle Thomas and Radford.
Services: A service will be held Monday, November 10, 2025 at 11:00am, at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, NH.
