Francis Thomas Kaminski

Lakeland- On July 30th 2019, at 6 pm Francis Thomas Kaminski (Tom) finally found peace after a long illness. He passed away surrounded by his family and never-ending love. Tom is survived by his wife, Kathleen Kaminski and his three children, Mark Pelham, Robyn Burke, and Krista M. Blanchette. Tom was blessed with eight grandchildren: Ryan Pelham, Ashley Pelham, Allison Taylor, Taylor Burke, Gabby Taylor, Grey Taylor, Reagan Taylor, and Eden Blanchette. Tom was excited to welcome his only great grandchild, Oliver Joseph Pelham. Tom was born 70 years ago in Toledo, Ohio and preceded in death by his beloved Grandma Byrd. Tom was proud to be a disabled Army veteran of the Vietnam era. Tom lived the majority of his adult life in Florida. He worked in air conditioning and refrigeration, having retired ten years ago. Tom’s favorite hobbies included sewing and fishing. Tom was proud to make quilts for his family, and always came running anytime a family member needed assistance. Tom’s family is proud of his vast knowledge of cars, construction, and appliances. In his retirement, Tom devoted much time, love, and care to the East Bay High School Theatre. Tom served as the Technical Director, where he designed and built sets as well as constructed costumes for over fifteen years. Tom will always be remembered for his sense of humor, funny stories, jokes, and songs. The void left by Tom’s passing will be hard to fill. A private celebration of Tom’s life will be held by his family. Tom was always proud of his two granddaughters with Autism. His granddaughter Reagan is a Special Olympics athlete. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Special Olympics Florida in his memory at https://give.specialolympics.org/page/contribute/florida.