Thomas Arthur Becraft
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: 17 Apr 1942 - Corning, Steuben Co, NY 1
Christening:
Death: 13 Aug 2008 - Bath Veteran's Hospital, Corning, Steuben Co, NY 2
Cremation: 18 Aug 2008 - Hope Cemetery, Corning, Steuben Co, NY 3
Cause of Death: cancer
AFN :
Events
Soc Sec Num, 084-38-7243
Occupation in Corning, Steuben Co, NY
Owned Becraft Tire & Motor for 42 years in Corning Obituary, Star-Gazette, 16 Aug 2008
BECRAFT, Thomas A. Obituary, Star-Gazette, 16 Aug 2008
Age 66, of Gorton Rd., Corning, died August 13, 2008 at Bath Veteran's Hospital. Surviving are his children: daughter, Deborah (David) Breon, son, Matthew BeCraft; granddaughter, Alexandra Shaw; sister, Anna BeCraft; brothers, Marvin BeCraft and Charles (Darcy) BeCraft. A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, August 18, 2008, at Acly-Stover Funeral Home, Corning.
Thomas A. Becraft Obituary, Corning Leader, 17 Aug 2008
BECRAFT, Thomas A.
Age 66, of Gorton Rd., Corning, died August 13, 2008 at Bath Veteran's Hospital. Surviving are his children: daughter, Deborah (David) Breon, son, Matthew BeCraft; granddaughter, Alexandra Shaw; sister, Anna BeCraft; brothers, Marvin BeCraft and Charles (Darcy) BeCraft. A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, August 18, 2008, at Acly-Stover Funeral Home, Corning.
Corning Leader
Sun Aug 17, 2008, 12:01 AM EDT
Bath, N.Y. -
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved brother, father, and friend, Thomas Arthur BeCraft, 66, Gorton Road, Corning. Tom died August 13, 2008 at Bath Veteran's Hospital after a courageous struggle against cancer.
He was born in Corning, NY, on April 17, 1942 to Charles and Mary Szepanska BeCraft, and he jumped feet-first into the world with what would become his trademark grin.
Tom was a graduate of Northside High School, Corning Community College, and he served honorably in the U.S. Army. Following the death of his father in 1966, he assumed management of BeCraft Tire and Motor Company, and he remained at the helm of the family business for 42 years.
Steeped in the family heritage of tires and automobiles, Tom nevertheless delighted in presenting other faces to the world - family jester, plant and animal lover, knowledgeable businessman, boat and race car enthusiast, and avid collector of classis cars.
His prize possession, an immaculate maroon 1962 Corvette, won its maiden exhibition class in 1986, and subsequently captured trophies in the Glen Regional Corvette and other shows. With Tom at the wheel, it has graced many local parades over the years.
In additional to his mother and father, Tom was predeceased by grandparents, LeRoy and Eldora Hall BeCraft, Antoni and Mary Wisniuk Szepanski, and cousin Curtis BeCraft.
Surviving are his children, daughter Deborah (David) Breon, son Matthew BeCraft, granddaughter Alexandra Shaw, sister Anna BeCraft, brothers Marvin BeCraft and Charles (Darcy) BeCraft, special niece Tina BeCraft Reese, and five other nieces and nephews. Also surviving are his uncle, John Szepansky, cousins Betty BeCraft Crozier, James BeCraft, Charles Szepansky, Sandra Szepansky Schofield, and former wife Nancy Demyan Lewek.
Special thanks to Tom's good friends Tom Diaddigo, Stu Morrison, Denise Ambusky, and Joan Willsey, who provided help, comfort, and courage when they were most needed. Many thanks also to the teams of outstanding and compassionate care givers at the Bath Veterans Hospital and Nursing Home Unit, Southern Tier Hospice, and to the many loyal customers of the family business who gave Tom his primary raison d'κtre.
Rest in Peace, dear brother, father, and friend. As we promised, we will, each in our own way, remember you as you were at your best, and we will be glad we knew you as an exhilarating part of our days and lives and times. Countless memories will keep you close, and the niches you carved in our hearts will belong only to you. We wish you peace, love, and safe passage as you traverse the Universe. "Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives - a man or a tree or a bird - should be touched gently, because the time is short."
A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, August 18, 2008, at Acly-Stover Funeral Home, Corning.
Ashes are to be scattered in places that held special meaning to Tom and his family. Memoriams in Tom's honor can be sent to Bath Veteran's Hospital, Southern Tier Hospice, or the Bath Finger Lakes Humane Society.
Parents
Father: Charles Deo Becraft Sr
Mother: Mary Ann Szepanska
Spouses and Children
1. *Nancy Demyan
Children:
1. Deborah Becraft
2. Matthew Becraft
Children:
1. Deborah Becraft
2. Matthew Becraft
Notes
Burial Notes:
Cremated and ashes scattered in several places.
Sources
1. U.S. Government, Social Security Death Index.
2. Findagrave.com.
3. gravelocator.cem.va.gov.