Thomas Nicholas Boland

Thomas N. Boland, 73, of Cumru Township, passed away unexpectedly on November 30, 2021, at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center.

Born in Reading, he was a son of the late John V. and M. Antoinette (Harvey) Boland.

He was a graduate of Holy Name High School in 1966; he earned a BA in Economics from Lafayette College in 1970. Tom went on to Lehigh University graduating with his MBA in International Finance, and to Penn State University where he earned his Juris Doctor degree.

Tom had many interests and talents and it showed with his wealth of work experience. He began his professional career with Beaumont, Heller and Sperling, an ad agency in Reading. He moved into finance working five-years at American Bank. For 25 years Tom worked for IBM traveling the world and living in varied areas including, North Carolina, Nevada and Connecticut. Later he worked as a Global Accounts Manager at SAP, served as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, and was a Sr. Manager for Accenture. Most recently, Tom was a freelance photojournalist and a business technology consultant putting his law degree to practice.

Tom was very engaged with his work, often offering problem-solving and innovative ideas. However, his true passion from his teens to the present was photography. His grandfather and his father were photography enthusiasts, but Tom raised that family interest to a science and a true art. In the years of film, he developed and printed his own photos. He even lent a nephew the equipment to set up his own dark room for a high school photography course. He traveled the world photographing the Formula 1 circuit, having first seen a race at Watkins Glen with his father in 1965. He also covered the PGA and the LPGA as well as thoroughbred horse racing. He traveled with Formula 1 Team Penske as their designated photographer. His photos were published in major newspapers and magazines internationally. Tom was an avid horseback rider in his younger years, and he modified his own car to run the Duryea and Pagoda Hill Climb on Mount Penn. He was a complete car enthusiast. In recent years, he discovered gardening, and doted on his beautiful plants. He also discovered birding when he assumed the protection of robins' nests in his yard last summer.

He is survived by his sister, M. Alison Seward, Lower Alsace, and his brother, Christopher V., husband of Joni (Schwambach) Boland, Sinking Spring. Eight nieces and nephews, eight great nieces and nephews, and many cousins also survive him. We will all miss his caring nature, his trenchant sense of humor, his fascinating stories and his presence in all of our lives.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 10 a.m. at St. John Baptist de la Salle RCC, Shillington with burial to follow at Gethsemane Cemetery. A viewing will be held Tuesday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., West Reading. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary https://www.hawkmountain.org/give/donate-now or Lynch Syndrome Research at Penn https://giving.apps.upenn.edu/fund?program=MED&fund=604670. www.kuhnfuneralhomes.com