Obituary of Thomas C. Croce

Thomas C. Croce, Jr., age 77, a Kingston resident for 50 years, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family on Friday, April 1, 2016. He was the beloved husband of Janet Croce and they were married for 58 years. Born in Lynn, MA, on December 25, 1938, he was a loving son to the late Thomas C. Croce, Sr. and Dorothy V. Cox and stepson to Gene Cox. Tom served in the United States Airforce and was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. Tom and Janet married on November 23, 1957, in New Kensington, PA. Together they owned and operated, Jan’s Catering, a local family business. In addition to running a family business, Tom worked for Goddard Park Medical Associates as a maintenance manager and retired in 2007. Tom was an active member of the local community, the Boy Scouts, Youth Hockey programs and putting in countless hours as a devoted volunteer at the Kingston Senior Center. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, where he and Janet loved to go disco dancing. Tom served as a Chairman of the Board for the Council on Aging and in 2011 he received the Mayflower RSVP Presidential Award. Tom and Janet loved to travel, especially enjoyed going on cruises. One of Tom's favorite places to visit was Foxwoods Casino, where he would play his favorite game, Caribbean Stud. Tom was an artist and loved to spend his free time drawing with his great-grandson, Noah. Tom also loved to play horseshoes at his son, Randy's, annual Soprano Open. In addition to his loving wife, Tom is survived by his children, Thomas C. Croce III and his wife Teresa of Lake Ridge, VA, Sharon Stemple and her husband Mark of Carver, MA, Randy Croce and Tracey Christello of Pembroke, MA. He was the brother of Robert Croce and his wife Anna of Peabody, MA, and Corene Teneriello and her husband Joseph of Dracut, MA. Tom was an unforgettable grandfather to Mark Jr., Kristin (and Daniel), Kevin (and Amanda), Mari (and Josh), Tessa, Tara, Maeja, Jackie, Lily and great-grandfather to Noah and Teddy. Tom is survived by many loving nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. Visiting hours at the Shepherd Funeral Home, 216 Main Street, (Route 106), Kingston, on Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 4:00-8:00PM. Funeral services at the Shepherd Funeral Home, Kingston, on Friday, April 8, 2016, at 9:00 AM, followed by his funeral Mass to be celebrated at Saint Joseph's Church, 272 Main Street, (Route 106), Kingston, at 10:00 AM, to which relatives and friends are respectively invited. Interment services will private and held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Thomas C. Croce, Jr. to: Shirley Shuster Patient Assistance Foundation, Attention: Kathy Ryan, 51 Performance Drive, Suite 110, Weymouth, MA 02189.