Thomas Morway, Sr.

WEST BROOKFIELD – Thomas G. Morway Sr., 65, of Maple Street, died Tuesday, January 8, 2019, in his home. He is survived by two children, Thomas G. Morway Jr. of Sutton, and Jennifer M. Balestracci of Oxford; a brother, Ben Morway of San Jose, CA; two sisters, Lois Harrison of Oxford and Betty Ziegler of Dudley; four grandchildren, Ethan Morway, Avery Morway, Lukas Balestracci, and Sophia Balestracci; his former wife, Christine A. Rafferty of Webster; and several nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his brother William C. Morway. He grew up in Oxford, son of the late William G. Morway and Gracia H. (Clark) Morway and spent most of his years living on Webster Lake with his family, later moving to West Brookfield. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1971.

Mr. Morway trained to become a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4 and worked for over 35 years. He was a highly skilled Operating Engineer and took pride in his work which included projects on the Big Dig and building the Ted Williams tunnel. In addition, he was a realtor for Sterling Realty for many years, a part time job he loved. After retiring from Local 4, he opened and operated Love Birds on the Common Aviary in West Brookfield for over 13 years where he bred and raised over 300 topical lovebirds during that period.

Mr. Morway was active in the Webster community as a former member of the Finance Committee and Planning Board where he served multiple terms over the years. He was a member of Singletary Rod and Gun Club in Oxford for many years. He was a skilled handyman who enjoyed carpentry and had a special ability to work with most anything mechanical, a true engineer. He enjoyed living on Webster Lake where he loved taking his family out on the boats tubing, fishing and water skiing. His children, nieces and nephews will always hold these special moments with “Uncle Tom” very close to their heart.

Services will be private at Paradis-Givner Funeral Home in Oxford. Private burial will be held at a later date at North Cemetery in Oxford. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701, or to the M.S.P.C.A., 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130.