Thomas Chatten
Thomas “Tommy” Claude Chatten, 70, of Haverhill passed away on Nov. 30, 2025, after a brief illness.
Tommy was larger than life — confident, unforgettable and the kind of person whose presence filled every room he entered. Born in Cambridge to Frances and Melburn Chatten, he carried his hometown with him wherever he went. He spoke often of the streets where he grew up, the friends who shaped him and the early days when his passion for basketball first took hold.
That passion led him to Fitchburg State, where he became a standout player. His grit, determination and scoring ability left a lasting mark on the program he was proud to represent. It was also at Fitchburg State where he met his first wife, Colleen, with whom he shared four children. Anyone who knew him can still hear the excitement in his voice when he reminisced about “the Burg” and the years that meant so much to him.
Outside of basketball, Tommy took immense pride in his work as a construction laborer with Local 151. He enjoyed time at the gym and loved riding his motorcycle whenever he could. Later in life, he found joy and peace at Salisbury Beach with friends and with his late wife, Barbara.
In retirement, Tommy discovered a new sense of purpose driving a transportation bus for disabled adults in the Haverhill area. He cherished the people he met, the routines he built and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those he served.
In the days before his passing, Tommy was visited by beloved friends and former teammates. He passed peacefully, surrounded by his children, at Lawrence General Hospital.
Tommy is predeceased by his wife, Barbara Chatten. He is survived by his brother, Daniel Chatten and wife Sue of Tennessee; and his children, all of Hopkinton, Kerri Chatten, Thomas M. Chatten and wife Laura, Kellie Kenney and husband Jeremy, and Brian Chatten and wife Jennifer; as well as a niece and several nephews. He also leaves behind 10 grandchildren, Madison, Thomas (“Little T”), Jordan, Julia, Cameron, Murphy, Jackson, Micayla, Hayden and Joseph.
We pray our dad has found peace and will rest easy.
Obituaries are submissions, typically from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual mistakes and clarifications and shortened for space considerations.
RIP big guy will miss you, and your late nite calls out of no where just to check in and say Browny it’s the Legend I love you buddy. My heart breaks that you are gone but I know you must be in a better place and God needed a new bodyguard. I want you to know you will never be forgotten and your stories from 111 Myrtle Ave at the Burg will live on forever as you truly are the Legend 😢🙏🏻🙏🏻😇
Tommy was loved by those who knew him well. I was blessed to call him friend. Rest in Power and Peace my brother.
KMac
Rip t you were a great guy had some good road trips
Tommy was a great guy, hard worker and great athlete with great size and great strength, he will be missed by all the may friends he had during his lifetime, Rest in Peace my longtime friend!☦️☦️🙏🙏
All of us from the CHLS Class of 1973 are sad at losing Tommy Chatten, a hero among us.
We would all like to pay our respects to Tom and his family. Please, tell me, will there be a Wake, a funeral, or a celebration of life for Tom?
To the family of Thomas Chatten my sincere condolences’ to you and his friends; your legacy will live on. With all do respect I met “The Legend” Tommy Chatten in 1978. Tommy had already played a couple of years at “The Burg” and Tommy was already on the schools all-time scorers list. Tommy’s the big man on campus, a man amongst boys, always friendly a player you wanted on your team. Tommy welcomed me in immediately into his brotherhood. Always greeting me “Doctor !, Hey brother … ! Tommy was legendary” I mean you would not build a statue of him like Brady. But if you did he’d be 6′ 5″- 6’6″ tall, a mop of shaggy dark hair, shirt leaves cutoff to expose the guns, clutching a basketball ready to shoot stance,military fatigues shorts, “Pistols” floppy socks, worn out converse sneakers. Standing tall, broad shoulder with his confident smile he had knowing he could beat you right or left off the dribble or shoot right up over you. “Nothing but net” Maybe 6″ 7″ ? I may have overstated a few things here, Tommy was a great teammate, a better friend, he will be missed. Tommy may god bless you and your family and may you Rest In Peace ! “Hey Brother !, We’ve got next!”
Dave “The Doctor” Eldridge
So sorry to see the passing of Tom Chatten. How so many enoyed those Cambridge Latin days with Tommy and Pat Ryan such a dominant force on the basketball court. With Pat obtaining All America honors playing for us at Suffolk University I could only dream of their continuing to be teammates at Suffolk but Tom carved out his own legacy for the Falcons at Fitchburg State. As mentioned Tommy was larger than life both physically and in legend. RIP Big Guy.Peace! Jim Nelson Emeritus Men’s Basketball Coach Suffolk University
Very sorry to hear of Tommy’s passing…he was larger than life not just physically but in his presence..he had your back no matter what the circumstances and no one could ask for a better friend than him. Rest in eternal peace brother.
Fergy
Anyone that knew Tommy, will never forget him. RIP