Bill Tomlinson, age 89, formerly of 360 Plateau Ave, North Eastham, MA, went to be with the Lord, Wednesday January 21st in Virginia Beach, VA.
He was the loving husband of Priscilla Tomlinson.
Bill was born in New Bedford, MA the son of the late Harold and Alberta Tomlinson. He was raised in a boys’ home by Mr. and Mrs. Mosher.
Bill was a 1943 graduate of North Dartmouth High School. At Dartmouth, a trophy bearing his name is still displayed, he was a star quarterback and all around athlete.
Bill, known as “Flags” by his fellow shipmates, served in the US Navy as a signalman on merchant marine ships from 1943 to 1946.
After serving his country in WWII, Bill was picked up by the Chicago Cubs farm team as a pitcher, with a unique dropping curve ball. He trained with the Red Sox, and soon after he started pitching for the Cubs, he developed a bone spur in his pitching elbow and was forced to give up the game.
He then attended the Vesper George School of Art where he graduated in 1949.
Bill was a natural born artist and designer. He was well know for his packaging design work done for the James O. Welch Company in Cambridge MA and the Nabisco Company. His packaging designs included well known brands including Pom Poms, Junior Mints, Sugar Daddy, and Charleston Chew to name a few. He ran his own packaging design firm for 40 years as Tomlinson Design Studio.
After raising their three children in Bedford MA, Bill and his loving wife Priscilla retired to Cape Cod Bay. He continued to paint as a fine artist until 89 years of age. He was a sports enthusiast and loved the Patriots, the Red Sox and the Celtics. He loved spending time in his garden on the Cape, loved good food, loved his golden retrievers, and most of all he loved spending time with his family and friends. All who knew him took great delight in his shared life stories and adventures, and his creative, fun, and optimistic attitude towards life.
He is survived by his wife Priscilla Tomlinson, two sons and a daughter, Cynthia Griffin and her husband Dr. John Griffin, William Tomlinson, Jr. and his fiancé Cindy Schartman, and Douglas Tomlinson and his wife Patricia; His grandchildren who lovingly called him Pop Pop; Benjamin, Justin, Caroline, Will, Lindsay, Taylor, Brooke, Zachary and Claudia and: Great grandchildren; Aubrey, Addisyn, Wesley, Harper, and Juliet.
There was a family held service at his daughter’s home in Virginia Beach Saturday, January 25, 2015. followed by a future memorial celebration of his life in June. In lieu of flowers, contributions and or donations in his name may be made to the American Heart Association https://donate.heart.org/site/c.fmJUKcOZJkI8G/b.8077571/k.6133/Donate_to_American_Heart_Association/apps/ka/sd/donorcustom.asp?kntaw553819=E6666B200DBC4A2B9FECEC86B27FCE69
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I was sorry to read of Mr. Tomlinson’s passing in The Cape Cod Times this week. He was a very talented artist and a very likeable man. I always looked forward to seeing his paintings on display at Eastham’s Windmill Weekend.
Many years ago, I hired him to paint a family portrait as a birthday surprise for my husband (who happened to be his local UPS driver). The detail was remarkable! His painting is treasured and his kindness, not forgotten.
With love and sympathy to his family,
Melanie and Mike Gallagher