Andrew William Tomascak
Andrew William Tomascak passed away on February 8, 2023 in Winchester, Massachusetts.
He was born on May 24, 1931, in Brookfield, Conn., to Andrew Paul and Veronica Elizabeth (Piskura) Tomascak. Andrew was the third of 14 children and, with the exception of his oldest sister, all were born at home in Brookfield on the family dairy farm. While growing up, he often mentioned how surprised he was to wake and find a new sibling in the house. This only meant that he would be moving over to make room for another bedmate. As the oldest son, he was expected to do most of the daily chores including milking cows, tilling the gardens, cutting the hay, and the most fun – cleaning the barn.
He attended Brookfield Center School and graduated from Saints Cyril & Methodius High School in Bridgeport. His family were devout Catholics and he was an altar boy at St Joseph’s, as were his other brothers and cousins.
After graduation, Andy enlisted in the United States Air Force. During his assignment he was stationed in Algeria and Morocco. He often told many stories of his time there, which fascinated the family.
Andy was a carpenter and built his house on land from the family farm. The property was quite expansive and as each sibling grew up, they were given a piece of land. This was an established Tomascak tradition that was done by his parents for all siblings. Each of Andy’s many uncles were also farmers in the Brookfield and Newtown area and passed down the same tradition. As a result, most of his family built their homes on these properties and all continued to be very close.
In 1956 Andy met the love of his life, Barbara Hastings. This “city” girl from Danbury was the one for him and they were married on September 14, 1957. Their 65-year marriage was amazing as their love for each other never once faded.
Andy later worked for Scovill/Century Brass and then Perkin-Elmer Corporation before retiring. During the majority of his life, he was never idle. Besides building his own home and remodeling it countless times, he also helped build his siblings’ homes and remodel his children’s as well. After selling their own home, Barbara and Andy started out becoming snow birds by splitting their time between Sarasota, Florida, and Heritage Village in Southbury. In more recent years, they moved in permanently with their daughter Sally in Wakefield, Mass. They had their own in-law apartment, which of course he had to remodel multiple times and never stopped updating or making changes.
Andy adored his family, especially his grandchildren, and spent as much time as he could in their lives. He was at every play, concert, little league game, graduation, and, most of all, at the beach.
In the past year as Andrew began to slow down, Sally became the primary caregiver to both him and Barbara, and assisted them in many of their day-to-day activities.
Besides his loving wife, he is survived by sons Jeffrey (Donna) of Newtown and Gary (Christine) of Norwalk; daughter, Sally (Christopher) Tannian of Wakefield, Mass.; grandchildren, Christopher (Brittany), Daniel (Andrea), Kaitlyn, Shannon, and Alexander Tomascak, and Callie, Mary, Patrick, and Catherine Tannian; great-grandson, Theo; brothers Peter, Robert, and James; and sisters, Barbara Carmignani, Cecilia Hungerford, Christine Richards, and Marion White.
He was predeceased by his brothers William, Albert, Cyril, and Matt; and sisters Agnes (Sister Isadore), and Margie Deluca.
Services were held privately by the family. Donations can be made to a charity of one’s choice.