At the age of 86, James Joseph Tomczak passed away without any discomfort on March 7, 2024. His birthday is April 7th, 1937, and he was born in Highland Park, Michigan. Agnes and Stanislaus Tomczak did not have any more children besides him.
James Currie and Roger Schafer III, his two grandsons, passed away before him earlier in life. Jim is survived by his devoted wife, Kay Tomczak; their nine children, Elizabeth (Roger) Schafer, Mary Susan (John) Currie, David (Patty), Andrew (Argira Glama), Jennifer (Scott DuBois), Christine (Steve) Horton, Kathleen (A.D.) Kent, Stephen, and Natalie (Joel) Bradford; 21 grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren; and a total of fourteen great-grandchildren.
On August 2, 1958, Jim and Kay tied the knot inside of the city of Detroit. It was in 1961 when Jim received his degree from the University of Detroit. After that, they relocated to Poughkeepsie, New York, and then in 1968, they made their permanent home in Burlington, Vermont, where they brought up their nine children. Jim was an electrical engineer at IBM for more than thirty years as he worked there. During that time, he was involved in the creation of a number of patents. 1969 was the year that he received his master degree in engineering from Syracuse University. This year also happened to be the year that he welcomed his seventh kid into the world. In the years following his retirement from IBM, he and his son David jointly owned the A&D Service Station, which was located in the North Avenue Shopping Center.
Not only was Jim a devoted husband and father, but he also possessed a wonderful sense of humor. In addition, he was a man of profound faith. Together with Kay, he took part in a number of retreats, Bible studies, and prayer communities.
It was during prayer sessions and family campfire gatherings that he learnt to play the guitar and sung. He also performed these instruments. Over the course of his life, he was an active participant in the practices of both the Catholic and Christian religious groups, most recently as a member of the Daybreak Church in Colchester.
Jim had a strong sense of responsibility for other people, and he was happy to assist anyone who approached him for aid. He was always willing to help. Anything, from carpentry to automobile repair, was within his capabilities to fix or improve. During his time as a volunteer at Aspire Now, he was given the title of “Father of the House” due to the fact that he assisted in putting up cribs and fixing various things.
He was a compassionate and honest individual. The work that he has done to assist a large number of people with their money and taxes was highlighted in a senior spotlight on WCAX. Over the course of his life, he has always been physically active. He coached minor hockey teams for a number of years, and later on, he became a champion pickleball player.
Jim was quite proud of his ever-growing family when he was younger. Both he and Kay had great pleasure in going to the sporting events that their children and grandchildren participated in, and they also took pleasure in working together in the garden and yard. All of those who knew and loved him will miss him terribly, and it was a pleasure to spend time with him.
He will be greatly missed. The LaVigne Funeral Home in Winooski will be open for visitation on Wednesday, March 13, from five o’clock until seven o’clock in the evening. Daybreak Community Church in Colchester will be the location of the funeral services that will be held on Thursday, March 14, at eleven o’clock each morning.
