GRAFTON/SUTTON: Thomas “Tom” J. Tomkiewicz, 64, passed away peacefully and unexpectedly on July 22, 2022. He is survived by his loving wife and partner of over 15 years, Belinda Blackford, her children Mitchel Mazur (London, UK) and Mackenzie Mazur and her fiancé Corey Denis (Nanaimo, BC, CAN), whom Tom loved as his own children; his siblings Eileen Tomkiewicz Flynn and her husband Joseph (South Grafton), Carolyn Tomkiewicz (Brooklyn, NY), Susan Tomkiewicz and her husband Alexander Tautkas (South Grafton) and Donna Tomkiewicz-Choate and her husband Luther Choate (Addison, ME), his nieces Katie Flynn and Megan Keough and her husband Matthew and nephew Joseph Flynn and his wife Tricia, great nephews, Gavin and Ryan Flynn, Brendan and Patrick Keough and great niece Kerrin Keough, along with numerous cousins, extended family, and friends. Tom was also very close to his wife’s family, her parents Bradford and Vera Blackford (Halifax, NS, CAN), sisters Stephanie Blackford (Qualicum Beach, BC, CAN) and Mary Jean Howitt and her husband Peter (Halifax, NS, CAN), brother Michael Blackford and his wife Johanna (York, ON, CAN), and their families.
The son of the late Mitchell and Esther (Sclar) Tomkiewicz, Tom was born October 25, 1957 in Worcester and grew up on the Tomkiewicz family farm in South Grafton. At a young age, Tom worked on the farm and also discovered his lifetime love for cars. Tom graduated from Blackstone Valley Technical High School and earned his associate degree from Central New England College of Technology. Tom was a humble, passionate, and talented home builder and mechanic, with a legacy of beautiful custom homes and beloved cars. Developing a reputation for meticulous quality, Tom honed his craft over many years. He was the owner of TJ Mitchell Builders, named in honor of his father. Tom also owned TAB Auto Sales named in honor of himself and his wife Belinda.
Tom valued hard work but also celebrated with loved ones, where you could find him grinning from ear to ear — whether he was tailgating at concerts, reading or playing Sudoku on the beach, kayaking while listening to a Red Sox game, or cheering the New England Patriots while savoring a beer. His cherished moments are many: the Summer Nationals, Barret Jackson car auctions, visiting rhinos, the 4th of July (which was like Christmas to him), snowmobiling, and the Tomkiewicz family’s traditional Polish Christmas. Tom loved to travel with his family and friends to Nova Scotia, the Outer Banks in NC, and Florida, especially the Keys. Tom was an animal lover; he loved his late dogs Max and Melissa and raising Toby, the current family dog. Tom was caring, loving, and could always be counted on to lend a hand to anyone who needed it.
Tom will be dearly missed by his wife, family, and many friends. “Everything has a time and place… mine is now and forever, here with you.”
All are welcome to a Funeral Mass which will be celebrated for Tom on Friday, August 5th at 11:00 a.m. at St. James Church, 89 Main St. S. Grafton, MA 01560. There are no calling hours and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom's memory to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, 45 Round Hill Road, Northampton, MA, 01060 (donate.clarkeschools.org) and The Alzheimer’s Associations both in the USA and Canada (www.alz.org or www.alzheimer.ca/ns/en respectively).