Thomas Moffet

Thomas Harold Raymond Moffet of Tiburon, who started his career as an electrical engineer and became an entrepreneur, bank president and investment firm founder, died Jan. 27 at home of transitional cell cancer. He was 70.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Mr. Moffet was the second of Irene and Harold Moffet's four children. He moved to Montreal with his family as a boy, where he learned French and embarked on a lifelong study of languages and cultures.

In 1963, Mr. Moffet graduated from McGill University with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. He worked as an engineer for Schlumberger in the oil fields of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, along with Peru, Brazil and Colombia.

He moved to Boston in 1965 to attend Harvard Business School. He and his wife, whom he has called the love of his life, met at that time. After he received his master's degree in business administration, the two were married, and he returned to Montreal with his bride.

Mr. Moffet and another engineer started a company that produced electronic equipment for recording studios and electric utilities. The company did well and he traveled quite a bit. One of his more interesting clients was the Cuban government, which hired him to outfit a new educational TV station studio.

In 1972, the Moffets drove through Europe and central and southern Asia for six months. From 1973 to 1978, they lived in Panama, where Mr. Moffet was president of investment bank First Chicago Panama.

The Moffets moved to Tiburon in 1983, and Mr. Moffet went to work for Crocker Bank. They settled in Tiburon, and Mr. Moffet soon left Crocker to help found Amsterdam Pacific, an investment firm, where he continued to work internationally, particularly in Latin America.

Mr. Moffet was a devoted father who supported his family in their academic, competitive sports and professional pursuits, his wife said. He enjoyed skiing, scuba diving, sailing, bicycling — in Marin as well as through mountain passes in Bhutan — and running on Mt. Tamalpais.

He was fluent in French, Spanish and Portuguese and also studied Italian, Greek, Arabic and Mandarin. He loved attending Commonwealth Club and World Affairs Council lectures and book readings. He also enjoyed classical music and attended concerts at the symphony as well as in smaller settings throughout the Bay Area.

Mr. Moffet is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, a Marin psychotherapist; his children, Anne Moffet Ciranni of Tiburon and Tim Moffet of New York City; a granddaughter, Claire Moffet Ciranni; three siblings, Marilyn Macfadyen of Montreal, Canada, Gordon MacFadyen of Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, and Maureen Moffet of Toronto, Canada; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of his life, to be held at 2 p.m. March 3 at St. Stephen's Church, 3 Bayview Ave., Belvedere.

The family suggests donations in his memory be sent to the Charles Ryan Research Foundation, UCSF Foundation, UCSF Box 0248, San Francisco, CA 94143-0248; North Bay Aquatics, P.O. Box 275, Corte Madera, CA 94976-0275; or a charity of one's choice.