George E. Thomsen, founding partner of Baltimore law firm, dies
George E. Thomsen, a lawyer and founding partner of Baltimore-based law firm Thomsen and Burke LLP, died of complications from old age Aug. 26 at Roland Park Place, where he lived since 2008.
The former longtime Homeland resident was 93.
"I worked closely with George when he was on the Gilman School board, and it was an honor and privilege to have worked with him," said Archibald R. Montgomery IV, who was headmaster from 1992 to 2001.
"He was quite the opposite of stuffy and was smart as the dickens and had a great sense of humor," Mr. Montgomery said. "He cared about people and institutions."
"A man of steady temperament, graciousness, intelligence and wit, Mr. Thomsen was measured in speech and a keen listener," wrote his son, Stewart G. Thomsen, of Newtonville, Massachusetts, in a biographical profile of his father.
George Edward Thomsen, son of U.S. District Court Judge Roszel C. Thomsen and Carol Wolf Thomsen, a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised in Homeland.
He attended the Calvert School, graduated from Gilman School and matriculated to Harvard, where he was a member of the glee club and an Air Force ROTC cadet.
After graduating from Harvard in 1952, he was commissioned an Air Force lieutenant and was stationed at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea during the Korean War.
Following his discharge from the service, he returned to Harvard, where he obtained his law degree.
While living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mr. Thomsen met Mary Ellen Reinert, an alumni feature editor for the Harvard Alumni Bulletin.
The couple married in 1955, and after his 1957 graduation from Harvard Law, settled in Homeland, where they raised their three sons.
Mr. Thomsen, a trusts and estates attorney, joined the law firm Gibbs McKenney, which had been founded in 1947. The firm became McKenney & Thomsen in 1961, and later, McKenney, Thomsen & Burke.
Today, the firm is Thomsen & Burke LLP, where Mr. Thomsen remained a partner until 2009, and was of counsel until his death.
Mr. Thomsen was a longtime active member of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, Woodbrook, where he had served as clerk of session.
Later in life, he joined Roland Park Presbyterian Church, where he served as a member of the search committee that brought the current pastor, the Rev. Mark Hanna, to the church in 2007.
Related Articles
News Obituaries | Paula Roberts Rome, a public relations firm owner who selected the food vendors to open Harborplace, dies
News Obituaries | JD Souther, a singer-songwriter who penned hits for the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, dies at 78
News Obituaries | Gloria F. Martino, longtime Towson Times correspondent, dies
News Obituaries | Martin 'Marty' Resnick, caterer who provided affordable crystal chandelier receptions, dies
News Obituaries | Patrice M. Cromwell, an Annie E. Casey Foundation official and champion squash player, dies
One of Mr. Thomsen's passions in life was education, which resulted in his serving for many years on the Gilman School board, where he had been president from 1985 to 1990, Goucher College treasurer, and as a member of the board of St. Mary's Seminary and University.
"His hobby was his board work," his son said.
"George was a thoughtful and compelling individual who helped me see things more clearly, and I was always so grateful for his friendship and time," Mr. Montgomery said.
Mr. Thomsen was also an avid reader, and among his favorite authors was C.S. Lewis, the British novelist, literary critic and theologian, his son said.
Mrs. Thomsen died in 2022 .
A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Roland Park Presbyterian Church, 4801 Roland Ave.
In addition to his son Stewart, Mr. Thomsen is survived by two other sons, Roszel C. Thomsen II, of Gibson Island, and Laurence W. Thomsen, of Sacramento, California; and seven grandchildren.
