On May 21, 2021, we lost an extraordinary man, Thomas F. Paiva, a loving husband to Jean Hampel Paiva. He moved to Hawley, PA before returning to Connecticut where he currently resided in Newtown. Tom was employed at Sikorsky Aircraft for many years before his retirement.
How do you sum up 90 years in a few paragraphs? Tom did not read, or watch sports, or hunt but he was so much more. He was an artist with wood, a master of metal, a world traveler, a brave soldier, a bird watcher, a fisherman, and a life member of the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department. He was a devoted husband, a sometimes tough father, a generous grandfather, and a silly great-grandfather.
In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by his sons, Thomas (Joan) of MA, Robert (Jan) of Wisconsin, Douglas (Karen) of Monroe, CT, Allen of NY, daughter Laurie (Kevin) of Monroe, CT, granddaughters Jennifer (Chris) Christian of PA, Keralee (David) Morey of OH, Danielle (Mark) Maruschak of Newtown, CT, Brianna (Kyle) Hacia of CA, grandsons Aaron (Jessica) Paiva of TX, and Colin Paiva of WI. Tom was blessed with five great-grandsons and four great-granddaughters.
A Memorial Gathering for Tom will be held on Thursday, June 3rd, from 4pm to 7pm at Spadaccino and Leo P. Gallagher & Son Community Funeral Home, 315 Monroe Tpke, Monroe, CT 06468. A brief service will be held at 6:30 PM. Livestream will be available through www.SpadaccinoFuneralHome.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department or Fisher House Foundation. Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes where military and veteran families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital.
