Nicholas Tasho

Nicholas Tasho BROCKTON Nicholas Tasho, 85, of Brockton, died Monday, Dec. 8, 2008, at the Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center, in Brockton, after a period of declining health. He was the husband of the late Mildred (Kolunie) Tasho. Born Oct. 29, 1923, in Boston, and raised in Somerville, he was a son of Peter and Vasiliqui Tasho. He was proud of his Albanian heritage and even in recent years, he enjoyed speaking the language and learning new words. His parents, who had come from the old country with nothing, had started the family's banana business from a pushcart in Haymarket Square. Nick was a gifted athlete and excelled at baseball and hockey as a youth in Somerville. As a three year starting pitcher for Somerville High School, he maintained highest academic honors, never lost a game and was known as "The Somerville Bomber." Always a man of few words, Nick would chuckle when speaking of his college sports "career". He briefly attended Dartmouth College and Northeastern University as a scholarship athlete. Nick served in France in the Fifth Infantry, Third Army under General Patton and was a recipient of the Purple Heart. After the war, Nick took one more shot at baseball before hanging up his cleats. He had been drafted by the Boston Red Sox and he reported to their Roanoke, Va. farm affiliate where he played for colorful manager, Eddie "Pop" Popowski. Nick never made it to the big club but as a Sox farmhand, he pitched batting practice to Ted Williams at Fenway Park. (Ted, upon seeing the nervous young player standing with his gear in the clubhouse, had barked, "Someone get this kid a locker! " ) When pro baseball ended, Nick joined his father and brother Sam at Tropical Banana headquarters on White Avenue in Brockton. Nick married Mildred Kolunie, of Newcastle, Pa. and honeymooned in Havana before the Castro years. They happily became "Brocktonians" - always active in the social and cultural activities of their adopted city. Nick loved his daily routines. Every day he went to work on White Avenue, then to his second home, Thorny Lea Golf Club in the afternoon for golf and camaraderie, then home for a steak dinner with the family. He was a past president of Thorny Lea Golf Club and a long-time member of the Board of Trustees. Nick took periodic business trips to Central and South America and occasionally Mildred, and friends like the Mathers and the Doyles, would coax him onto a plane to Europe for a real vacation. Those trips were among his fondest memories. Those who knew Nick recognized the generous man beneath the reserved exterior. He was endlessly fascinated, amused and enriched by his friends and his family. Nick and Mildred, married for 59 years prior to her death last January, were an inseparable presence at the restaurants they frequented so faithfully - Leonard's, Wally's, Christo's and Doyle's Pub among their favorites over the years. And up until 2007, when his health began to fail, Nick worked each day at Tropical's Brockton office. Nick is survived by his children, Diane Prince and her husband Stephen of Brockton, Peter Tasho and his wife Jeannine of Easton, and David Tasho and his wife Ellen of Bridgewater; his brother, Sotir (Sam) Tasho and his wife Helen; in-laws John and Sophie Kolunie of Wareham. He was loving grandfather to Alexandra Prince, Christina, Marissa and Brittany Tasho, Jason and Jamie Linde and Benjamin, Julia and William Tasho. Funeral services will be held in the Russell & Pica Funeral Home, 165 Belmont St. (Rte. 123), Brockton, Saturday, at 10 a.m. Interment will follow in Melrose Cemetery, Brockton. Calling hours Friday, 3-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Pl. West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02347 or the the Make a Wish Foundation, 1 Bullfinch Pl., Boston, MA 02114. For directions and obituary, visit www.RussellFuneralHome.com