The son of Thomas Lewis and Margaret Agnes (Collins), Thomas Lewis Minichiello Jr. was born on Oct. 23, 1948 in Portsmouth, NH. His father was employed as an electrician and mother raised the family, including the addition of his sister Rose several years later.
After attending St. Patrick School in Portsmouth and graduating from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover as valedictorian of 1966, Thomas was inspired by his teachers and chose to pursue a teaching career. As a result, he earned his bachelor and master's degrees in his favorite field of US history.
After accepting a teaching job in Nashua, Thomas started his teaching career at Fairgrounds and then Spring Street junior high schools. In 1979, he joined the staff of Nashua High School, where he taught until 1995. He held membership in the Nashua Teachers Union and the Nashua Historical Society. He was also a member of 1st NH Regiment of the Bicentennial.
He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Pi Gamma Mu Society and Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity. He served in the UNH Student Senate and was a disc jockey at WUNH in Durham.
Thomas enjoyed traveling to Europe, Africa and Australia. He loved all types of music and was a collector, enjoyed movies and was a baseball fan. He was also a communicant of St. Patrick Church in Nashua.