Obituary of Tom Barry Kaminski
Tom Barry Kaminski passed away on January 1st on the Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God, after three months in the hospital. He was born on August 14th, 1936 in Stamford, Connecticut to the late Eugene and Katherine Kaminski. He was pre-deceased by his brother, George Kaminski of Pismo Beach, CA and his sister Eugenia Bakes of Wake Forest, NC.
After appearing off Broadway, in Summer Stock, and in Camelot, Oklahoma, and Carousel among others on Broadway, and Lincoln Center Tom spent the next 45 years working the resorts as Entertainer, MC, and Program/Activities Director mostly at Kutsher’s County Club in Monticello, NY. Tom starred in numerous Polish festivals in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. His recording, “The Valley View House Presents T. Barry Kaminski” a mix of Polish and American standards was a sell out!
Tom graduated from Stamford High School in 1954 and enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served as Presidential Guard to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and 8th and I in the Ceremonial Guard Company in Washington D.C. He was honorably discharged as Lance Corporal in 1959 and studied music and acting at the American Theatre in New York City and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
In his spare time, he loved to fish, read, make trails in the woods behind his house, and watch college football especially Syracuse and Notre Dame. He also loved to watch the Mets, Jets and Giants and enjoyed golfing having scored 2 holes in one. He relished driving his convertible with the top down and “Mr. Ace” license plates.
Tom is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Hedy, his daughter Agatha Bodwell, her husband Tom and their daughter Charlotte of Sandwich, Massachusetts. He is also survived by nieces Cheryl Bowers, Suzanne Winant, Bibi Andrews, Eva Oleksy, Julia Elzomor, Nicole Giannatsis, Anastasia Giannatsis; and nephews John Bakes, Marek and Darius Oleksy, and Philip Zygnerski; and a host of grandnieces and grandnephews, and cousins.
Family and friends are invited to gather on Friday, January 4 from 5:00 to 8:00pm at the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home, 401 Broadway in Monticello. His funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 5 at 11am at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Broadway and Liberty Street in Monticello with Fr. John Tran officiating. Burial with military honors will be held on Monday, January 7 at the St. John’s Cemetery in Stamford, CT.
Arrangements are under the direction of the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home of Monticello NY; for additional information or to send an online condolence, please visit www.kennyfuneralhome.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Tom Kaminski, please visit Tribute Store