1 Family's Loss Fuels a Growing Mental Health Project
By Craig Reed
The tragic death of Thomas Batterman has not been forgotten. In his memory, his family established the nonprofit Thomas Batterman Mental Health Project shortly after the 58-year-old man died by suicide in March 2022.
A statement about the project says, “In loving memory, Tom’s wife and children established the Thomas Batterman Mental Health Project with the goal of helping individuals facing similar challenges as those Tom and his family endured.”
Lori Batterman, of Elkton, was married to Tom for 22 years and says she has no problem talking about her late husband and his mental health issues.
“Rather than a negative, we wanted to turn this into a positive,” Lori says. “We’re trying to get help to those in need.”
The project’s mission is to provide funding for mental health services for low-income individuals and their families, either directly or through collaboration with other nonprofit organizations.
The project, supported by a six-member board of directors, provides academic scholarships for higher education to students pursuing careers in mental health or related fields and grants to accredited institutions for the purpose of mental health research, including, but not limited to, medicinal research and clinical trials. It strives to raise awareness about mental healthcare and services, and advocates at local, state, and national levels in support of policies to improve the lives of individuals with mental health issues and their families.
The project’s next fundraiser is the 4th annual 5K Run for Wellness on Sept. 6. The run/walk event is held in cooperation with the Elkton Community Education Center as part of Fort Umpqua Days.
Other events TBMHP has organized or helped coordinate have been a chili cook-off/cornhole tournament, a crab feed dinner, a barbecue at the Blooms & Butterfly Festival, a Vines and Swines dinner, and a free Christmas dinner. The project also sponsors yoga classes at the community education center.
Since its establishment, the project has donated $25,000 to South Lane Mental Health in Cottage Grove for student internships, $10,000 to start a survivors group in support of family and friends after a loved 1 has taken his or her life, $10,000 to the National Alliance for Mental Illness to provide backpacks with essentials to people with mental issues and $4,700 to the Douglas County First Responders Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports first responders affected by tragedies.
Tom was born in New York in 1963. He was a good student and was active in several sports. He earned Bachelor of Science degrees in political science and Italian. After school, he moved West and worked for 8 years as a logger.
When an issue with spotted owls restricted logging, Tom entered a lineworker apprenticeship program. Upon completion of that program, he became a journeyman lineman and worked in infrastructure construction.
In 2004, Tom was badly burned in a work accident. He spent 30 days in a burn center, then returned to line construction work for another 14 years. Tom worked for Pacific Power out of Lakeview until taking an early retirement in 2018.
“His body was breaking down from his work,” Lori says. “Construction workers have 1 of the highest percentages of committing suicide. He had heart issues and was self-medicating with alcohol. He couldn’t lift his hands above his shoulders.”
Tom and Lori lived in the Bly area between Klamath Falls and Lakeview from 2014 to 2021. In 2021, the couple’s property, including 3 antique vehicles, was blackened by the Bootleg Fire. They moved to a small house in Reedsport.
“The fire was the tipping point for Thomas,” Lori says. “He kind of shut down. He fell into a depression. He had all the checkmarks for ending his life.”
While Lori was gone retrieving items from their Bly property, Tom took his life. A statement on the project’s website says, “Although Tom’s life was relatively short, he lived an amazing life. He considered himself a working-class citizen and strove to be the best ‘human’ he could be. He only wished that everyone would be their best ‘human,’ and the fact that society didn’t reflect the best in ourselves severely disappointed him.”
Lori, their daughter, Jessica Batterman, and Tom’s stepson, Casey Scofield, hope the Thomas Batterman Mental Health Project can help people deal with their mental issues.
“I would hope Tom would be very excited about what we’re doing in his name,” Lori says.