Tributes

It is with heartbreaking sadness that we announce that Thomas M. Tomko, 60, passed away in February of 2022 at his home in Orlando, Florida surrounded by his devoted wife, Georgia, and children Thomas Tomko and Kali (Henry) Beauchamp after a valiant eleven-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Tom was born in 1961 in Youngstown, Ohio to Thomas and Lorraine Tomko, Thomas was known by “Tod” to his family and “Tom” by his friends and co-workers. Tom graduated from Poland Seminary High School in 1979 and The Ohio State University in 1986 with a rarely achieved double major; Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Physics and Electrical Engineering. Both of his children followed in his footsteps receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Systems Technology with a specialization in Cyber Security with Honors. Tom worked for the Department of Defense for over 33 years. He began his career as an Electrical Engineer for the Naval Air Warfare Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1994, he transferred to the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, Florida, where he was a Supervisory Lead for Facilities Engineering. He was in charge of multidisciplinary engineering that coordinated facility requirements for complex training systems all over the world. He not only mentored, but led by example. Over the course of 33 years, he received countless awards and recognitions. In 2017, Tom was presented with a flag that had flown over the United States Capitol for his dedicated federal service on his 30th anniversary year. Upon retiring three years later, he received handwritten letters from State Senators, Governors, members of Congress and even President Trump commending him on his years of dedicated service to our Nation. He was then presented with a flag that had flown over the White House on the day of his retirement in January of 2020. After retiring, Tom consulted for KBR as a Facility Engineer. Tom married his high school sweetheart, Georgia Walsh, in Poland, Ohio, in 1986 and their union was blessed with a son and a daughter. One of his last wishes was to see his daughter, Kali, get married and to be able to give her hand in marriage. Kali and Henry were united as husband and wife at his bedside by the family pastor. Tom held Henry’s hand afterwards and told him to “Stay centered with God and all things are possible.” Within a few short hours, Tom journeyed home to be with the Lord. Tom was passionate about music and even played drums in a high school band. He was a very sophisticated computer geek, even reading computer magazines to his daughter when she was only 6 months old. He enjoyed many hours in his magnificent Music Room listening to various artists, one of his favorite artists to listen to on his sound system was Sade. He was ardent reader and was very well versed in religion, politics, and life in general. He loved watching movies and television and especially loved “Little House on the Prairie” and “Gunsmoke." He also absolutely loved his pets including Bella, the family’s miniature Dachshund and being the best grandpaw to Rocki, Kali and Henry’s Belgian Malinois. He was well versed on the stock market, gemstones and invested wisely while passing that knowledge down to his children. If you knew Tom, you knew that he loved the color red. His cars were red and he especially loved joy riding on his red motorcycle every weekend. He loved his garden and was proud to nurture over 60 pineapples with Georgia. Tom was a devout man of God and attended Faith Assembly in Orlando, Florida. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March of 2021. During his illness he & Georgia would watch online services together. He had such a positive outlook on life and never let the cancer get the better of him. When he spoke to his countless family and friends, he amazingly never, ever complained about his circumstances, and instead continued to encourage and mentor them. He touched the lives and souls of so many who cherished him greatly. He offered a level of optimism that was honest, heartfelt and spilled over into all that he did. He saw the world as it was and despite the challenges that existed, he still looked towards God, beauty and wonder as a conscious choice. Tom is preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Lorraine (Lauzon) Tomko and in-laws, Donald and Clara Walsh. Tom will continue to be honored by his high school sweetheart, Georgia, their children Thomas Tomko and Kali (Henry) Beauchamp, twin sisters; Ellen (Tom) Kiddy, Elaine (Don) Noonan, nieces, nephews, and cousins, step-mother-in-law Korenne (Carden) Walsh, brother-in law’s Donald (Ruth) Walsh and John (Dawn) Walsh, sister-in-law’s, Sharyn DiMuzio, Annette (David) Veitz, step-brother-in-law Mark (Beth) Carden, step-sister-in-law Kaulene (Mike) Berchtold. He will also be deeply missed by his family and friends. Anyone having known Tom has found him to be a blessing in their lives. The family requests these individuals now pass on that positive energy, mentorship, and smiling laughter to others. We can always keep Tom alive in our hearts by allowing his leadership to shine through us and carrying his legacy onward, forever honoring him and the values he represented. He will be greatly missed but always present in our hearts. We are all better people for having known Tom. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Faith Assembly on March 11, 2022 at 4PM. Services will also be live streamed at faithassembly.org/live

Tributes

Thomas Michael Joseph Tomko

June 29, 1961 - February 24, 2022