Thomas J. Quinn

Thomas Quinn, 76, died gently at his home in Glastonbury early Sunday morning as he readied himself for a day that would’ve included visits from his children and grandchildren. Instead it became a day that reunited him in God’s embrace with his loving wife Maria and daughter Kathleen, whom had gone from this world before him.

We can only imagine the wonderful look he must have given them. For though he liked to wear a straight face, Tom Quinn could be exceptionally expressive with his eyes and mouth. So much so, that the joy in his company came in his smirks and smiles.

The smirks were a specialty, nuanced and varied to be just right for the occasion. On seeing his smirk, you waited, watching the gleam in Tom’s eye as he’d give voice to a quip that made the moment memorable. But the smiles. The smiles were rarer than his smirks, but always generous when they appeared – kind, loving, or appreciative when spurred by someone else’s joy, humor, or good fortune. For adults and friends, Tom’s smiles were often a happy surprise when they came because you never quite knew what would make him smile. But for children, especially his grandchildren, the smiles were involuntary, unstoppable, and a pleasure to see.

Tom Quinn worked for Traveler’s Insurance for 30 years as Supervisor of the Printing Division and he supplemented that income by working two or three nights a week at Carbone’s Restaurant as a waiter.

He and his wife lived frugally, feeding a family of six, and then seven after taking in a foster child. He made ends meet by buying from local farms, chipping in with his extended family to raise pigs, cows and chickens and share in their butchering and curing. He worked with his hands, doing his own repairs, painting and wall papering his house, and over time, building enough savings to build a place in Vermont where some of his family’s best memories were created.

An outdoorsman, over the years Tom trained Irish Setters for bird hunting, played poker at deer camp with friends, walked into the woods at dawn to hunt, and trolled up and down many a lake or pond for trout or salmon. He was a member of the Glastonbury Fish and Game Club but over time came to do more of his hunting and fishing in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.

In addition to hunting and fishing, which some, but not all, of his children took to, Tom skied with his entire family at Burke Mountain, and over time took up golf as well, a game he played mostly in the company of his wife, Maria. Athletic, rugged, sometimes appearing taciturn, sitting quietly with a pipe in comfortable jeans and a sweatshirt at the cabin while others around him did a lot of the talking, Tom may have appeared to be the quintessential man’s man, but he loved to hold babies, cook dinner, play board and card games with children, and serve as host to friends and family.

He never locked the door at his house in Glastonbury. The pool could be used whether he was home or away. Family events – the legendary Father’s Day picnics that would teem with four generations of relatives and friends; wedding showers and receptions; smaller weekly gatherings every Sunday for Tom’s children and grandchildren – took place in the big yard at his Wickham Road home. All of his children, nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews carry in their hearts memories of picnics and cookouts at Uncle Tom’s.

Tom Quinn lived his faith in full and with integrity through his acts, especially in the call to charity and good works and loving thy neighbor. He shared and welcomed easily and readily, often volunteering to host or to have someone use the vacation home in Vermont before someone thought to ask. It was that heart – that knowing when to offer – that set Tom apart. In fact Tom brought integrity to all he did. When he did wood work, fix-it jobs around the house, car repairs, he did the jobs right.

Tom was a good Catholic, but like all else, he brought his wry outlook and sense of humor to his faith. He would go to mass every week, even when he was up in Vermont on hunting trips. But on those hunting trips, he would always go to the one church in town where he knew the priest would pretty much skip the homily so that the hunters in the church could get out into the woods.

In death, Thomas Quinn is now reunited with, his wife, Maria (Carbone) Quinn, daughter, Kathleen Hagearty, and brother, Edward Quinn. He was predeceased by others he loved: his parents, Thomas Joseph Quinn and Margaret O’Keefe Quinn; and his brother-in-law, Nicholas R. Carbone, and his wife Barbara Gillespie Carbone.

He lives on in the loving memory of his children and family: Frances and Scott Knights, Regina and Richard Gority, TJ & Pam Quinn, Edward and Laura Quinn, Maria and Michael Fazzino. 15 grandchildren: Kylee Knights and Jamie Coss, Shelby Knights, Chelsea (Gority) and Joe Salafia, Patrick Gority, David Gority, Justin Quinn, Spencer Quinn, Thomas Quinn III, Matt Quinn, Steven Quinn, Kevin Quinn, Stephen Fazzino, Ashley Fazzino, Luke Hagearty and Morgan Hagearty and their father John Hagearty, Catherine Robacker and her husband Bill. 1 Great granddaughter Skylar Coss. Brothers and sisters in law Guy and Judy Carbone, Carl and Lucille Carbone, Francesca and Jim Matthews and Joyce Quinn.

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held on Friday, February 26, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. from the Glastonbury Funeral Home, 450 New London Turnpike, Glastonbury, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in St. Dunstan’s Church, 1345 Manchester Rd., Glastonbury. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Glastonbury. Family and friends will gather at the funeral home on Thursday, February 25 from 4-8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations be made in his memory to: Cherish the Children Foundation, P.O. Box 128, Glastonbury, CT 06033. For more information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.glastonburyfuneral.com