Thomas F. Nixon

Thomas “Tuxie” Nixon formally of Staten Island and a retired  Lieutenant of the NYC Fire Department, died at his home in Pt. Pleasant New Jersey on Saturday May 22nd, after a long illness. His wife Jean Marie Nixon pre-deceased him in 2007, also in Pt. Pleasant. He is survived by two daughters,  Melissa Williams of St. Pete Beach Florida and Gena Kelly and her husband Steve of Highlands, New Jersey,  along with four granddaughters, Taylor Williams, Shannon Williams, Emma Kelly and Mackenzie Kelly.  He is also survived by seven siblings and eighteen nieces and nephews.

Tom was born in 1940 in Staten Island to Jim and Rose Nixon and resided in Great Kills with

his other nine siblings.  He attended St. Clare Church and grammar school.  He married Jean Marie Vroom of Annadale at Our Lady Star of the Sea church in 1963 and they resided in Annadale where they raised their two daughters.  They moved to Pt. Pleasant in 1999.

Tom was with the Local Plumbers Union, a skill he would retain throughout his life and then served bravely with the FDNY for 23 years.  First at Engine 15 in Manhattan and eventually at Ladder 85 in SI, where he retired as a Lieutenant. Though retired by 2001, he responded immediately to assist his brothers in the aftermath of 9/11.  Tom was also a bagpiper with the Staten Island Piper band for many years and then joined St. Brendan’s Pipes in NJ when he moved to Pt. Pleasant. He proudly played at hundreds of parades, events and family gatherings and most especially enjoyed playing solo on the beaches of St. Pete, Staten Island and New Jersey where locals would gather to hear him.

Tom was also an avid fisherman and boater.  He was a member of a boating club in Great Kills.

He was a member of the Elks, Moose and the Bay Head Shores beach club in Pt. Pleasant.

He enjoyed golfing and playing with various groups at many events along with some life-long friends. He spent winters with his daughter and grandchildren in St. Pete Beach where he also visited those local clubs and continued all of his hobbies and interests.

A funeral mass will be held on Friday, May 28th at St. Martha Roman Catholic Church, 3800 Herbertsville Road, Pt Pleasant at 11:00 AM.

In memoriam, donations can be sent in his honor to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, [email protected] or support to your local firehouse.