THOMAS J. BIANCHI CHARLOTTE - Tom Bianchi left this world on Monday, Sept. 14, in the arms of his best friend and soul mate and was welcomed into heaven by a large cadre of corgis and salukis very happy to see him. Born in Windsor, Vt. Feb. 17, 1942 to Thomas A. and Catherine Roberts Bianchi, Tom graduated from Windsor High School in 1960 and headed off to Bentley College in Boston where he graduated with a degree in Accounting in 1962. Looking to conquer the world, Tom joined the internal auditing team with U.S. Rubber Company and traveled the southwest circuit from California through Houston to Atlanta for three years before heading back to his roots in New England, settling in Boston working for JK Lasser doing public accounting and later doing accounting for American International Travel Service. In 1969, Tom returned to Vermont, working initially for the Mountain Company in Stowe and later for Nordic Ford and for 20 years for the Shelburne Corporation in Shelburne. Mechanically inclined, inquisitive and creative by nature Tom found his calling in his shop. Having 'gone to the dogs' in the early 70's with the acquisition of corgis and later, salukis, Tom became passionate about watching the salukis and other hounds do what they were born to do........run! Going to field trials with his own salukis and watching one of them get injured on the equipment being used at the time, Tom decided that he could 'build a better mousetrap' and set to create a safer design of equipment with which to run his hounds. Injoy Wood Products/Lure Coursing Equipment was born in 1978 on a part time basis with Tom designing and manufacturing equipment originally designed for 'lure coursing' of hounds. Injoy, named because Tom loved what he did, was his life - he loved working in his shop, he loved creating a better 'mousetrap', he loved figuring out how to do it better and more efficiently and he was adamant about building a quality product that would last. Over the years, Injoy's market expanded beyond the dog world to include falconers who wanted to train their birds, zookeepers who wanted to exercise their big cats, folks who wanted to save the cheetahs from extinction and those folks who were into sailplanes.....these enthusiasts in these various venues knew Injoy meant Tom, his knowledge and expertise and quality equipment. In 1995, Tom fulfilled his life-long dream of being totally self-employed doing that which he loved to do.........work with his mind and his hands. ASFA, the American Sighthound Field Association, gave Tom the Gary Forrester Award for outstanding contribution to the field of lure coursing in 2007. Tom was very proud of the fact that he did make lure coursing safer for the dogs and the life better for the cheetahs in zoos around the world and in the nature preserves in Africa. An avid admirer of nature, Tom most loved Vermont woods and all the beauty he found there. Growing up hunting with his Dad, Tom learned to enjoy the woods with a camera and loved snowshoeing with the dogs and seeing the beauty of the woods with a camera and seeing the beauty of the woods and hills throughout the various seasons, fall being his favorite. Acadia and the ocean, fishing on Vermont lakes, cribbage or bridge with friends, good food, laughter, the company of his very close friends and a glass of Southern Comfort were all things Tom most enjoyed, but his DNA revolved around personal integrity, a strong moral code and unshakable ethics - these were the items never compromised. If you were honest with yourself and with him, Tom was a loyal friend. In 1969 Tom married Katrina Brockway, who survives him. Best friends and soulmates, they celebrated their 40 anniversary on the 6 of Sept. He is also survived by several cousins and a huge family of friends: Jim and Dale Healy, Joel Schnure, Tom, Jeanne and Katrina Wilson, Ted and Mary Keith, Clint and Carol Reichard, Mark Snelling, Bobbi Allen, Karol Josselyn, Kathy Spear, Bob and Pat Calnen, Eric and Denise Perron, Ted and Janie Keith, Molly Keith, Claire Porter, Marilyn and Chris Daly, and Peter and Camille Mendicino. Trina would like to publicly thank Dr. Susan Burdette-Radoux, Dr. Jeffrey Klein, Dr. Jim Wallace, Dr. Ed Terrien at Fletcher Allen Health Care and their staffs and Dr. Francis Hornicek and Anne Friore at Massachusetts General Hosipital, Boston, for excellent care, compassion and support they gave Tom and her throughout their journey. Donations in Tom's name can be made to MGH Orthopedic Oncology Fund, Dr. Francis Hornicek, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Yawkey Center, Suite 3700, Boston, Mass. 02114 to be used towards soft tissue sarcoma research or to STOLA, Saluki Tree of Alliance, 3701 Sacramento St. #345, San Francisco, Calif. 94118.