MOUNT DESERT–A white patch, surrounded in red, with the logo of Savage Forest Enterprise Inc. began showing up earlier in the week on different social media profiles to show support for the family and friends of Tom Savage.
Savage, 46, died in an accident on the Route 102 property of his business Monday around 10 a.m. A sixth generation Mount Desert Islander, Savage leaves behind his wife, Meghan, and their three daughters.
A graduate of Mount Desert Island High School, Savage was the captain of his soccer team in 1993 and was selected as a regional all-star his senior year, according to MDIHS Athletic Director Bunky Dow. After attending Maine Maritime Academy and Husson University and playing soccer at each school, he returned to MDIHS in 2004 as the girls’ varsity coach until 2014.
“He had a great love for the game and instilled that in his players,” said Dow. “He saw the value in everybody. He wasn’t so much worried about wins and losses but about work ethic.”
It was through soccer that Savage met his wife, Meghan Goff, when they coached together in 2007. Those skills he valued as a coach were also what he applied as an employer at his business, according to Dow.
“He saw the good in everybody,” he said, explaining that several of Savage’s employees often came from lives of hardship. “He worked with them to better them.”
Organizations around Mount Desert Island benefited from donations from Savage Forest Enterprise Inc. and Savage’s generosity. Dow mentioned how he donated wood chips to a local preschool “out of the blue.”
“He did a lot for the community,” said Dow. “It’s a blow. He was always looking for ways to make things better for everybody in the community. He will be greatly missed.”