Dr. Thomas Nelson Saul

August 30, 1944 (Newark, NJ) – March 20, 2024 (Houston, TX)

Dr. Thomas N. Saul, 79, passed away on March 20, 2024, after a hard-fought battle with Parkinson's. He was born August 30, 1944 to Warren and Jean Saul, is survived by Shirley, his loving and devoted wife of 56 years, and daughters, Kathleen Billette-Saul [Frederic], Elizabeth Rapp [Will] and Jen Agnitti as well as grandchildren, Madeline, Patrick, Miles, Luc, and Devan, and brother, Roger Saul. He is preceded in death by brother, Andrew Saul.

Tom was a passionate music educator who proudly served the Greece Central School District in New York State for over thirty years. He developed an extensive string program for Greece Central, built and conducted a District Orchestra and founded the Greece Suzuki Group. Tom believed that all students had a right to learn, practice, and benefit from the joy of music. He continued to teach private music lessons, offer his expertise to other music educators, and adjudicate for NYSSMA, well into retirement. He continued to play both the viola and the viola d'amore as long as he was able, practicing daily and looking for opportunities to perform on his own or as part of an ensemble. In 2019, Tom and Shirley relocated to Houston, Texas.

In all ways, Tom was a man of honor and integrity. He was dependable, reliable, steadfast, judicious, and hard working. He saw the good in people and inspired others to access God's gifts and cultivate them through hard work, determination, and dedicated effort. Tom believed that a focus on family, health, career, and finance could establish balance and prosperity. During retirement, this led to opportunities to travel and enjoy time with his five grandchildren.

In addition to being a music lover, Tom was a raving Yankees fan, originating with attendance at the original Yankee Stadium with his father in the 1950s. He also enjoyed attending concerts at his alma mater, the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, where he obtained his M.A. in 1973 and Ph.D. in 1976.

Tom was an avid collector of Thomas Alva Edison phonograph and cylinder machines, the RCA "Nipper" dog, baseball cards, figurines, Lionel trains, coins, especially nickels (in his estimation, the viola of the coin family), and Vermont memorabilia. He looked for any opportunity to connect with family and friends while scoring a good deal at local restaurants by using coupons, early bird or senior specials, especially for breakfast. Amidst all these things, it was clear that nothing mattered more to Tom than his family; he went to great efforts to bring everyone together each year at the family cottage in Ludlow, Vermont, and enjoyed cruises with the family. Tom remained connected with his loved ones until his passing and was enveloped by their loving presence as he prepared to transition.

"Say what you mean, and do what you say."

Tom will be remembered, appreciated, and loved by all who knew him. He leaves a legacy of both believing in and being the good in our world.