Obituary of Thomas Walden III

Thomas Walden, III passed away peacefully on September 5, 2023 surrounded by his family. Tom was born on June 30, 1940 in Ho-Ho-Kus New Jersey where he spent his childhood and later moved to Franklin Lakes New Jersey. After graduating from Ridgewood High School class of 1958, Tom earned a B.A. degree in Economics from Middlebury College where he was an active member and chair of the DEKE fraternity. While at Middlebury, he was a member of ROTC. After graduating from Rutgers University with an M.B.A degree in Accounting, Tom enlisted in the Army where he was commissioned as a 2 nd Lieutenant in the Quarter Master Core. He was honorably discharged in 1965 as a 1 st Lieutenant after which he joined the accounting firm, Price Waterhouse. In 1966, Tom met the love of his life, Barbara, whom he married on June 22, 1968. In 1975, he joined the family company, Ris Paper Company, merchant of fine paper and was in charge of finance, mergers and acquisitions making it one of the largest paper companies both in the East and Midwest. In 1980, Tom was named chairman until his retirement in 2000 when he oversaw the sale of the company. During his time at Ris Paper Company he earned a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School Executive Program. Tom and Barbara settled in Summit, New Jersey where they raised their two children and were active members of the community. He particularly loved watching his children play various sports and playing golf with friends and family. Tom was a long-time member of Baltusrol Golf Club, where he volunteered as part of the Security team for the PGA Championship in 2005. He additionally was a member of the Union League Club (NYC), Beacon Hill Club (Summit, NJ) and Whiteface Golf Club (Lake Placid, NY). Tom particularly enjoyed times spent at their family lake house in Lake Placid, New York where he enjoyed downhill and cross-country skiing, playing golf, swimming, boating, waterskiing, and being appointed cannoneer for the Lake Placid Clamato Regatta. He was most proud of his season pass as a Senior Citizen at Whiteface Mountain. Tom would often be found working on his father's boat, a 1961 wooden Thompson that he restored by hand in his retirement. His favorite days were those spent with his children and grandchildren enjoying the dock, the lake and cruising the lake in the family boat, Sunset. His kindness, generosity, devotion to his family and his amazing sense of humor will be greatly missed. Tom is survived by his devoted wife Barbara Walden (nee Ris); his loving children Thomas Walden IV and wife Katherine (Kate) Walden (nee Huneke) and Laura Walden Dugan and husband Brendan Dugan; his sister Sandra Luther (nee Walden) and husband Russ Luther and their children; and his adored grandchildren: Thomas Henry Walden, Elizabeth (Tess) Jane Walden, Avery Catherine Dugan and Edythe Evelyn Dugan. He was pre-deceased by his parents Thomas Walden Jr. and Ruth Walden (nee Osgood). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Lake Placid Rescue Squad: http://lakeplacidambulance.com/ Shore Owners Association of Lake Placid – Dam Improvement Fund: https://www.adirondackfoundation.org/funds/keep-placid-pure-fund Saint Eustace Episcopal Church: https://steustace.weebly.com/ Calvary Episcopal Church: http://www.calvarysummit.org/