Thomas J. Colucci

Thomas John Colucci, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to many, died September 18, 2018 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after an 18-month battle with lymphoma. He was born in Elmira, NY on June 16, 1954 to the late Wilson Colucci, his father, and mother Betty (Perrotta) Colucci, who survives him. Tom was the mischievous youngest member of the family, and always looked up to his older brother Wilson, who Tom called Billy.

Tom graduated from St. Bonaventure University and received a Master’s degree in Counseling from IUP and an MBA from Binghamton. In 1979, Tom married the love of his life, Kathy Pekar, also a Bonaventure graduate. They enjoyed a wonderful life together, living on several lakes in Connecticut while raising their two sons Andrew and Joshua, welcoming daughter-in-law Sandra seven years ago, and two years ago celebrating the birth of their precious granddaughter Emmeline Rose. Tom and Kathy were excited to retire in 2016, setting up homes in Tampa FL and Chatham MA.

Tom spent more than 30 years in counseling, the last twenty at Stratford High School in Connecticut. He was a truly dedicated professional who always strove to make a difference for his students, and enable them to succeed. Tom enjoyed a mid-career shift to business, with seven years as HR manager for Pawling Savings Bank, but returned to counseling so he could spend more time with his sons.

Tom loved his family and his friends deeply. He was unpretentious and warm and irreverent and relentless. Many people would say that Tom was the funniest person they knew. He was also the wisest person, as underneath his humor was a profound understanding of human nature, and a compass that ran “true north” for honesty, straight talk, love, and doing what is right.

Tom enjoyed building and renovating homes, taming the wilderness, and boating and playing on the lakes of Connecticut. He soaked up the sun and the beach. His wife and two sons were the light of his life, and he adored being “Grampy” to his granddaughter Emma. Tom loved his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, and the many friends he met there. Tom built friendships for life and he was always excited to plan the next party. He brought his family and friends together into one extraordinarily close multi-generational family. And we are all devastated to lose our ringleader and instigator Tom.

Tom is survived by his wife Kathy (Pekar) Colucci of Tampa and Chatham; their oldest son and his wife, Drs. Andrew and Sandra Colucci and granddaughter Emmeline Rose of Duxbury, MA; and younger son Joshua Colucci and companion Amanda Weakley of St. Petersburg, FL. His mother, Betty Colucci of Framingham, MA, his brother Dr. Wilson Colucci and wife Dr. Jill Downing of Wellesley MA, and many nieces and nephews also survive him.

A visitation will be held from 6 PM to 7 PM, followed by a Celebration of Life from 7 PM to 8 PM on Friday, September 28th at Nickerson Funeral Home in Chatham. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 29th at Holy Redeemer Church, followed by burial in Union Cemetery. After the cemetery, please join the family for lunch at Longshore Restaurant at 1077 Main Street, Chatham.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom’s memory to St. Bonaventure University Health Professions at https://sbu.edu.

For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com.

FAMILY

Kathy Colucci, Wife

Dr. Andrew Colucci, Son

Joshua Colucci, Son

Dr. Sandra Colucci, Daughter-in-Law

Emmeline Rose Colucci, Granddaughter