Mike was born in Passaic, New Jersey, on May 13, 1948 to John and Catherine (Carnogursky) Tomkovitch. He was raised in Passaic and graduated from Passaic High School in 1966. He enlisted in the United States Air Force that same year and was stationed in Ankara, Turkey.
Following his tour in the Air Force, he entered Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in 1971. In June of that year, he married the love of his life, Jean Litvaitis, in Wayne Township, New Jersey. Mike earned his Master’s Degree from Western Connecticut University in 1980. He then continued on to law school and graduated from Pace University School of Law earning his Juris Doctor in 1984.
In 1985, Mike became licensed to practice law in the State of New York and was a founding partner in the law firm of Campanaro & Tomkovitch. Additional Bar admissions included U.S District Court and the Supreme Court of the United States. He practiced law in Dutchess County, New York, with emphasis on family law, and appeared frequently in the Family Court and Supreme Court of the State of New York. Throughout his legal career, Mike donated countless hours for pro bono legal work, mentored numerous newly admitted attorneys, and was often appointed by the Courts to act as Law Guardian for children and counsel for the elderly who were in need of legal services. Mike was a member, and later Chairman, of the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency from 1982 through 2010. As Chairman, he was instrumental in Dutchess County’s recovery from a severe economic downturn in the early 1980’s and was responsible for providing capital investments in numerous projects throughout the County which created many jobs and improved the quality of life for the residents of Dutchess County.
In January 2006, Mike was elected Town Justice to the Town of East Fishkill Court where he served until December 2010. Prior to become Town Justice, he was the Chairman of the Town of East Fishkill Zoning Board for many years. Following his retirement, Mike and Jean, who often wintered in Las Vegas, Nevada, moved there permanently in 2014.
Mike was an avid reader who enjoyed his daily and Sunday newspapers. He was very knowledgeable about Civil War and World War II history and greatly enjoyed touring National parks and historical sites. Mike loved traveling the world with his wife, visiting family and friends, and most recently, was overjoyed at becoming a grandfather. He had a very kind heart and a wonderful sense of humor. He was dearly loved and will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.
Mike is survived by his wife, Jean; his daughter Meredith, her partner Dave, and their baby daughter Amelia (presently living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), brother John and his wife Joanne, brother-in-law John and his wife Marian, sister-in-law Anne and her husband Mike, a niece, nephews and numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Mike was a communicant at Faith Community Lutheran Church and volunteered as a driver for the Sun City Volunteers. For many years, Mike made generous donations of food to food pantries wherever he lived.
There will be a Celebration of Life ceremony at Palm Cheyenne Mortuary, 7400 West Cheyenne Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada, for neighbors and friends. Interment of his ashes will occur at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada, in July at a date to be determined due to virus restrictions.
Donations may be made in his memory to an organization of your choice. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmcheyenne.com for the TOMKOVITCH family.
Thank you so much for your heart warming messages of condolences and personal connections about Mike. It means a lot to us that so many people have taken time to write these down and share them with us. We appreciate how much he has touched so many lives and these memories have brought a smile to us during these tough times.
Love, Jean & Meredith
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