The Honorable Sherwood “Woody” Tarlow of Palm Desert, CA, formerly of Swampscott, MA, passed away on February 26 at the age of 87.
Judge Tarlow was born and raised in Gloucester, MA, the son of the late Isidor Ralph and Eva (Davis) Tarlow. He attended Gloucester High School where he was a member of the marching band and ROTC. He served in the U.S. Army and continued his education on the GI Bill. He graduated from Colby College in 1945, before entering Tufts Dental School. Failing eye sight forced Judge Tarlow to change directions, attending Boston University School of Law, receiving his J.D. degree in 1947 and beginning his life-long love of the legal profession. In 1964, he was appointed Judge of Probate for Dukes County, MA, where he served for over a decade. During this time, Judge Tarlow developed a love for Martha’s Vineyard where the family continued to spend tine at the family home until 2005.
In addition to law, Judge Tarlow branched out into other business endeavors, including the broadcasting field eventually having interests in 10 radio stations throughout the country. Known by his friends as “Woody”, he went on to have successful business ventures in banking. Giving back to the community was important to Judge Tarlow and he was most honored by his selection as “Man of the Year” in 1969 by the Greater Boston Assn. for Retarded Children. He was involved with numerous charitable organizations and foundations over the years, foremost of which was the ForSight Foundation, establishing an endowment chair for Low Vision research at Boston University Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology. Always grateful for his educational opportunities, he established and funded scholarships for recipients in many communities at Boston University and Colby College. He was also a major supporter of the Kidney Foundation, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Massachusetts General Hospital, Eisenhower Medical Center and campaigned aggressively to fund other causes.
He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Helen “Rene” Tarlow; daughter, Nancy and son-in-law John Carden of Swampscott, MA; son, Douglas and daughter-in-law Debbie of Melrose, MA; son Edward Bignell and daughter in-law Laurette of Danville, NH; granddaughter, Elise Ermer and her husband David of Riverdale. UT; grandson, Michael Carden of Swampscott, MA; grandsons, Mark and David Tarlow of Melrose, MA; grandson, Josh Bignell and his wife Erin of Bethel Park, PA; and granddaughter Ashley Bignell of Danville, NH. He is also survived by 8 great-grandchildren; his sister, Thelma Ellerin and her husband Saul of Manchester, NH; and his loving nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother John Tarlow and sister-in-law Selma. Woody loved spending time with his family, traveling with his wife Rene, playing golf and croquet as well as following the Boston Red Sox. He was a member of Ironwood Country Club and a past member of Kernwood Country Club and Mission Hills Croquet Club.
ARRANGEMENTS: Private family services were held in Palm Desert, CA.
Forest-Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries.
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