Thomas Anthony Karas was born March 28, 1946 in Buffalo, NY. He was the eldest of four children born to Anthony J. and Carrie M. (Bieniek) Karas. His father was a steel worker at Bethlehem Steel and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. Both sets of Tom's grandparents were immigrants from Poland. He was followed in birth order by John, Karen, and Donna.
Tom went to elementary school at Transfiguration School and St. Luke's School, where he graduated from 8th grade in 1960. He was a member of the St. Luke's Boy Scout Troop 209. He completed the 9th grade at Canisius High School and graduated in 1964 from Bishop Turner High School.
Following high school, Tom attended Bryant Stratton Business School and graduated in 1966 with an accounting degree. Tom worked as an accountant for a few years, but soon decided that accounting was not for him. Next, he spent several years in the rental car business, but realized that was not his calling either. Eventually, he gravitated toward his life profession - insurance.
During this transition period, Tom served in the Army National Guard. He was stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, as a paratrooper. His reserve unit was sent in to help restore calm in the infamous Attica Prison riot in the early 1970's.
Tom grew up on the East side of Buffalo, a close-knit, predominantly Polish neighborhood, in the house his parents continued to own for over 30 years. He was raised Roman Catholic, in a strong religious environment. The influences of Tom's religious upbringing are clearly evidenced by the genuine kindness, love, and concern for others that permeated everything he did throughout his life. The Karas household was always filled with pets; most of these were dogs, but hamsters, parakeets, and rabbits were also present.
Very early in his life, Tom determined that he was not going to wind up in the blistering hot coke ovens of Bethlehem Steel where his dad toiled. Tom's mom encouraged him to play the accordion, and his brother John to play the clarinet. Tom took his first accordion lessons at Edwin's Music Store from Johnny Johnson, one of the original New Yorkers. By the age of ten, Tom was already so involved in music that he organized his first band, called the Tommy K Trio. After the Tommy K Trio, Tom became the bandleader of Tommy K and the Little New Yorkers. By the time Tom was 11 and John 9, they were appearing weekly at the Glen Park Casino and Town Casino in Mrs. Dunn's "Stars of Tomorrow" showcase of the finest young talent in western New York. Throughout high school, the brothers could frequently be found performing at Polish clubs, lawn fetes, and weddings.
Tom and John were both original members of the G-Notes of Buffalo, a group which came together in 1966. John left the group in 1979 to join The Jimmy Sturr Orchestra, while Tom remained with the G-Notes until 1981. While with the G-Notes, Tom perfected the "triple bellow shake", an accordion maneuver that few players can master. For the next two years, Tom developed his own band, called New York Sound. In 1983, he was reunited with his brother John, as a member of The Jimmy Sturr Orchestra. Between 1983 and 1989 the group won five Grammy Awards. In 1989, Tom temporarily retired from the music and performance business, because he felt that holding a full-time job and performing almost every weekend had become heavy a load. After one year, however, Tom realized he could not stay away from his music. He played for a short time with Fred Bulinski and the Brass Works. When Fred retired in 1993, some of the members decided to regroup and form TKO (Tom Karas Orchestra). Their first job was in December 1993. Tom stayed with the group for a little over a year. In 1995, Jan Lewan called and asked Tom to join his orchestra, an offer that Tom gladly accepted. Tom played with the Jan Lewan Orchestra for the next six years. He also became the booking manager for the orchestra. Throughout a musical career that spanned forty years and over 8 bands and orchestras, Tom music was recorded on 28 albums and CDs.
Music was not only a major source of enjoyment for Tom, but also served as his ticket to see the world. Along with his music, Tom's travels included trips to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, 2 Grammy award ceremonies, Gilley's in Houston, Texas, Las Vegas, Frankenmuth, MI, Action Park, NJ, The Corn Palace in Mitchell SD, and Yankee stadium. He was booked onto several Caribbean and Mediterranean cruise ships and toured Eastern Europe, including Poland, Denmark, and the Holy Land, visiting countless Polish homes along the way. Ironically, but not surprisingly, it was music that took Tom on his final trip to Florida, a trip originally scheduled for 10 days, but one that ended up being eternity. In the early morning of January 26, 2001, the Jan Lewan bus was making its way through Dillon, South Carolina en route to Florida. The bus driver fell asleep at the wheel, and the bus ran into a cement abutment, which ripped through the right side of the bus. Tom and John Stabinsky (a trombone player for the band) were killed on impact. In all likelihood, Tom never knew what hit him. Most importantly he died doing something that he truly cherished. For as Tom always said, "Music is the greatest part-time job in the world. You get paid to do something you really love."
Tom's love of music was not limited to playing accordion and keyboards. He was a member of the Chopin's dance society in Buffalo, NY, performing dance concerts at Kleinhan's Music Hall. He was also a DJ for a short while on a local radio station in Buffalo. Nor were Tom's talents limited strictly to music. Since he was always a "people" person, Tom entertained some serious aspirations for a career in politics. After completing college, Tom had toyed for a short time with the idea of running for assemblyman, but eventually decided that since music had always been his first love, he would not be able to pursue both careers effectively.
Tom's love of music also allowed him to meet his wife. Tom and Beverly met in 1984 at Seven Springs, a ski resort near Pittsburgh, PA, where Tom was performing with the Jimmy Sturr Orchestra. Shortly after meeting, the two knew they were destined to be together. Tom and Beverly wed in 1987, and their first son, Brandon William Anthony, was born three years later. In 1996, Beverly gave birth to a second boy, Thomas Anthony William, and their family was complete. In addition to his family role as a husband and father, Tom also loved to cook. He derived pleasure in trying different recipes and experimenting with old ones. Once, he spent over 4 hours creating a turkey with a champagne sauce!
Tom was incredibly devoted to his children, especially in the area of athletics. He coached every baseball team that Brandon ever played on, starting with T-ball. Due to his insurance background, he was asked to serve on the Board of Directors as Safety Officer for the New Windsor Little League. Thomas had started T-ball several months ago, and Tom had planned to coach both Brandon's and Thomas' teams, to be there for his kids. Tom may have been the most dedicated little league coach of all time. Two years ago, Tom suffered a heart attack. As Tom was being wheeled into the ER, Brandon's team was about to begin a playoff game to determine if they would qualify for the league championship game. While in the Emergency Department, hooked up to the cardiac monitor with doctors and nurses hovering around, Tom was more concerned about giving Beverly the correct line-up for the game, than for his own health. The team did go on to win that game, and Tom was awarded the game ball in the hospital the next day. Inspired by the spirit of "Coach Tom," the team then went on to win the championship game. Actually, Tom's coaching career had begun years earlier in the Scajaquada League in Buffalo. Tom's daughter, Kim, by a previous marriage played Little League, and Tom demonstrated the same fatherly dedication to her athletic endeavors as he later did for his sons. Tom's involvement in his daughter's league enabled his younger sister Donna to meet her future husband Bob.
Even though he moved from Buffalo to eastern New York in the mid 1980's, Tom remained a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan. On many late autumn Sundays, he would go to a local bar with Brandon to watch the Bills game. Other times, he would listen to the Bills game broadcast over the Internet. He ordered "Shout" (the official Bills magazine), to keep up with the current stats and trades that the team made. He was always angered by our local newspapers and their lack of coverage for the third New York football team.
In addition to love of music, and love for his family, Tom's third passion in life was insurance. He was in the business for over 20 years, working his way up to Vice President for NIF Services of NY, an insurance brokerage firm in Manhattan. In 1995, Tom was caught in a corporate downsizing process and was laid off from his firm. Never daunted for even a moment, he made the courageous decision to start his own insurance agency at age 50. The name Tom chose for the new agency was the essence of the man: IPS (Integrity, Professionalism, Service)/Karas, Corp. In the five years Tom ran the agency, it grew to serve over 200 clients. Tom became an active member of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. He joined the Ambassador group, served on the Chamber Ball and Small Business committees, was team captain for the 2000 membership drive, and had volunteered to be a team captain for the 2001 membership drive. As remembered in a Chamber of Commerce memoriam, Tom "was most known for his ready smile and willingness to lend a hand."
One of IPS/Karas Corps clients is Terri Scott, proprietor of The Olde Plank Inn in Walker Valley, NY. Terri recalls that Tom had suggested she add to the Inn's menu the delicious "Kimmelweck" sandwich that he remembered so well from his youth in Buffalo. The Olde Plank Inn is now offering a "Karas Kimmelweck" sandwich on their menu in memory of Tom. Terry Scott promises you'll love the sandwich as much as we all loved Tom.
Tom is survived by his wife, the former Beverly Schambura of Pittsburgh; two sons, Brandon and Thomas; two daughters from a previous marriage, Kim Ode and Tracy Karas; three grandchildren, Christopher, Amber and Cory; a brother, John; nephew Johnny (Godchild); a sister, Karen Howard; her husband, Jim; his nephew, Dmitri; another sister, Donna Rogalski; her husband, Bob; his niece, Ashley; his nephew and godchild, Robbie; father-in-law William J. Schambura; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, most of whom still reside in the Buffalo area. He was predeceased in death by his father, Anthony Karas; mother, Carrie Karas; and mother-in-law, Agnes Schambura.
You said, "I'm leaving, I'll be back in 10 days."
You never said it would be forever.
You were gone before we knew it, and only God knows why.
It broke our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone,
For our hearts went with you, the day God called you home.
A million times we've needed you.
A million times we've cried,
If only our LOVE could have saved you, darling, you never would have died.
It doesn't seem possible you're really gone,
As we search for answers and fight back tears.
Things were so much better when you were here,
Every memory a good one, so vivid, so clear.
We know you watch over us, but it's just not the same.
The emptiness overwhelms us, and so does the pain.
But when God called on an angel to expand heaven's nest,
He left living hearts broken, because He chose only the BEST!
Tom, it's hard to believe we've come this far without you.
You have two beautiful sons who feel daily the wonderful foundation you gave them for their lives. They miss you dearly, but not a moment goes by that they are not told what a wonderful man their Dad was. Please give us the strength to carry on. We miss you more than you could possibly imagine, and we want you to know that you're on our minds, in our dreams, and burned into our hearts forever.
