BY Portsmouth Herald News

Family and friends who gathered at the home of Thomas Dionne on Monday remembered a hard-working man who put his family first and always made them laugh.

Dionne, 58, of Stratham, owner of Great Bay Building and Remodeling, died Sunday at Portsmouth Regional Hospital after a scuba diving accident in Great Bay.

"We were number one, always," said Susan, Dionne's wife. "He was so devoted to me, to my children and to his children from a previous marriage. He was so funny. He kept me laughing hard for 15 years."

Dionne spent much of his time enjoying the outdoors, fishing, scuba diving, tending to his gardens and fruit trees and traveling with his seven children.

Family members said Monday Dionne was the "fun guy," who could make light of any situation and make anyone laugh. One year for Christmas, Dionne, who at the time had a pet sheep named Edible, prepared Christmas dinner at his house.

"We were all sitting down eating, and we said, 'What are we eating?'" said Rebecca Doucet, Dionne's niece. "He said, 'It's Edible.'"

Dionne's family remembered a "Thom" tattoo he had removed from his arm, which was cut out and stitched up. When Dionne returned home, he cut a piece of ham and wrote his name on it. He then took the slice to his sons, showed them his removed "tattoo" and ate it.

"He was always a prankster," said his sister, Joan Dionne, of California.

Dionne's daughter, Rachel, recalled a trip to the Caribbean with her father.

"He was really adventurous," she said. "While we were there, he sees this triangle, orange fish and starts picking at it. It puffed out and turned out to be a big puffer fish. But my dad wasn't really afraid of anything."

While Dionne knew how to have a good time, he also had a very generous heart, family members said. He served in the U.S. Army on the front line during the Vietnam War for two years, after which he returned to New Hampshire to begin his career as a builder. His humanitarianism and sense of adventure led Dionne to a three-year stint in Haiti working with Habitat for Humanity.

"That was so Thom," said his sister, Lois Lilienthal. "He had a very caring heart. He looked out for people."

In his business, Dionne specialized in building homes on the Seacoast.

"One of the things that struck me about Thom was he was a great worker," said Dionne's father-in-law Jim Howard. "He always kept busy."

Doug Eastman, the town of Exeter's building inspector, said he knew Dionne since their years together at Exeter High School. They had also worked on a number of projects together in town, including a recent conversion of the Gilman Grange Hall to four condominium units.

"I can't say enough good about him. He was just a great guy," Eastman said.

Terry Barnes, building inspector in Stratham, said he knew Dionne only as a contractor, but that he was a great guy.

"He was very cordial and well-liked here," Barnes said. "I always enjoyed talking with him. I am very sorry."

Dionne's cause of death is under investigation by the N.H. Marine Patrol. Newington Assistant Fire Chief Dale Sylvia said he did not believe the environment played a role. According to witnesses at the scene, Dionne was wearing a wet suit.

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