Thomas Masurat died suddenly on June 12 in the Arbor at Galloway Ridge Retirement Community. He and his wife, Louise, had moved to Galloway Ridge from Pennsylvania in 2005.

Thomas was born on January 6, 1928, in Hamburg, Germany, and came to this country in 1938. He grew up in Vermont and New Hampshire and attended Cushing Academy in Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in 1951 and pursued graduate studies in Texas at Baylor, but his love of research led him to a career in the pharmaceutical industry. He worked for Lever Brothers in New Jersey, Unilever in England, and, until his retirement, for Warner Lambert in Morris Plains, New Jersey.

Tom was happiest living in the country. He had a special affinity for plants, birds, and cats and, with his incredible green thumb, his retirement was spent gardening and challenging his always-inquiring mind with reading on a wide variety of subjects. In addition, he spent many happy hours on his iMac working out problems on Mathematica.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Galloway Ridge Charitable Fund, 3000 Galloway Ridge Rd, Pittsboro, NC 27312, for its support of the many less-privileged residents of Chatham County.