Thomas L. Bellmore

Thomas L. Bellmore
Thomas L. Bellmore, 78, of West Suffield, passed away on June 4, 2025, after his tough and courageous battle with cancer. Born February 6, 1947, the son of the late George W. Bellmore Sr. and Anna T. (Keane) Bellmore, he was a lifelong resident of West Suffield. Tom graduated from Suffield High School in 1965, was a career town employee, and a 46-year Suffield Fire Department veteran.
The town of Suffield, and its community, were Tom's passion since he was young. He worked at various local farms throughout his youth and is likely where he developed his love of tractors and machinery. Wanting to join the fire department at a young age, his father would not allow him to until he graduated from high school. In 1965, at the age of 18, he was finally able to join the Suffield Volunteer Fire Dept. In 1966, he started work for the Suffield Highway Dept., where his love for tractors and machinery showed through the smile on his face whenever he was able to run a backhoe. While still at the highway department, he became a Suffield Police Supernumerary in 1970. He was on the original board of directors for the Suffield Ambulance Assoc. and became an EMT in 1975, all while continuing to volunteer for the fire department and rising through the ranks to Lieutenant and Captain.
In 1981, he accomplished his greatest achievement and dream job, becoming Chief of the Suffield Fire Department, where he spent over 30 years before retiring in 2011. He was never happier than working with his firemen and members of the community. If anyone ever wanted to know where Tom was, a good bet was "at the fire house". He was President of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Assoc. in 1999 and received numerous awards and plaques from various civic organizations.
After retirement, he continued to stay involved by volunteering for the West Suffield Village Improvement Assoc. and the West Suffield Cemetery Committee, where he was Treasurer until just before his passing. He could usually be found each morning at Dunkin, chatting with his local crew.
Tom leaves behind his brother, George Bellmore Jr., and his wife Adele, of West Suffield, his brother-in-law, Ron Ostrowski of Suffield, along with his niece, Marcy Fiori, and 6 nephews, Brian Bellmore, Kevin Bellmore, Shawn Bellmore, Glenn Reilly, Marc Hoyland and Jon Ostrowski. He is also survived by many great-nieces and nephews. Tom was predeceased by his sister, Carolyn Hoyland and her husband Bernie, sister, Kathy Ostrowski, and sister, Patricia Bellmore.
The family would like to thank all of Tom's caregivers at The Suffield House Healthcare Center, Johnson Memorial Hospital Cancer Center and his oncology team in Enfield, Suffield Ambulance, St. Francis Hospital, Masonicare Home Healthcare and Hospice, AleraCare Homecare and Visiting Angels Senior homecare.
Calling hours will be at Nicholson & Carmon Funeral Home, 443 East St N. (Rt. 159), Suffield, on Sunday, June 8, 2025, from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm. A memorial service will be held on Monday, June 9, 2025, at 11:00 am at Nicholson & Carmon Funeral Home, with burial immediately following in West Suffield Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of Suffield's dedicated community organizations: Suffield Firefighters Association, 73 Mountain Rd., Suffield, CT 06078, Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 642, Suffield, CT 06078, or to Suffield Community Aid, 450 South St., Suffield, CT 06078. To leave online condolences, please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com .