January 2022 Honor A Deceased Veteran – Thomas P. Digiorgio

THOMAS PETER DIGIORGIO
1931-2021

FAMILY HISTORY:

Thomas “Tom” Peter DiGiorgio was born on June 8, 1931 in Elizabeth, New Jersey to the late Pietro and Agostilia Roccatani DiGiorgio, who instilled in him the values of hard work, fairness to all, a love of good home-cooking and some homemade vino. He was the brother of Carlo DiGiorgio and the late Anna Romel.

EDUCATION:

In 1950, Tom trained as a cabinetmaker at Thomas Edison High School.

HISTORY:

Tom enlisted in the United State Navy on May 29, 1951 in New York, New York. He served aboard the USS Willard Keith, DD-775 as a metalsmith. For his service, Tom was awarded the National Defense Ribbon, Navy Occupation Medal, Korean Medal and the United Nations Medal. Tom separated from the United States Navy on April 22, 1955.

PERSONAL:

Tom was married to Beatrice Annarelli from 1957-1994, and together they had 4 children; Diane, Peter, Thomas and Patricia, and 5 grandchildren; Kaitlin, Thomas, Kristin, Bradley, and Ryan. Tom was predeceased by his partner of many years, Anne Popielarski.

Tom has lived all over the Eastern part of the United States. After growing up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tom went on to raise his family in Rockaway Beach, New York and Coram, Long Island. He later relocated to the Poconos before moving to Castleton, New York in 2015 to live with his daughter, Diane due to his advancing dementia.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Tom was an accomplished carpenter and jack-of-all-trades. He was a self-employed carpenter/builder, a proprietor of Dee’s Hardware and Lumber in Coram, New York and a construction manager on numerous projects; including homes, restaurants and gas stations in the Eastern United States. Tom didn’t let much slow him down, and he continued working, building and remodeling well into his 80’s.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS:

Tom loved the beach, listening to music, bantering in Italian and sharing time with loved ones. He also loved ballroom dancing and was active in the amateur dance circuit in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Tom won many dance competitions, and in 2018 he received a Veterans Creative Arts Recognition for his dancing.

Tom loved life and never had a dull moment. In 2005, Tom and his family took a trip to his ancestral village of Priverno, Italy to visit extended family, and in 2017, Tom and his daughter had the honor of participating in a Veteran’s Patriot Flight to Washington DC to visit memorials.

Sadly, on January 10, 2021 Tom passed away.