Thomas Frederick Gatti

THOMAS FREDERICK GATTI

His pursuit of life stretched from the bitter cold of northern Michigan to the gentle warmth of Hawaii. Along the way he acquired the blessings of family, friends, work, and play- and he blended them like notes in a musical score.

He was born Thomas Frederick Gatti on May 17, 1973 in Detroit, MI, and passed away on November 4 in his home in Kapolei, with his cherished Maile, the love of his life, at his side. He was 49.

He arrived in Hawaii as a young man in a new world, and was soon under its spell. His move was almost predicted in a painting he made as a youth which still hangs in his parents' home. It depicts a seagull plying the sky against a golden ocean sunset. He called it "The Lone One".

Tom grew up in Northville, MI, where he played high school football and wrestled. He attended Lake Superior State University in frost-bitten Sault Ste Marie in Michigan's upper peninsula. One of his favorite college activities was as a disc jockey on the campus radio station where he could play any music of his choosing, and his tastes ranged from Top 40 to Sinatra, to John Lee Hooker, to the Grateful Dead, which was his favorite band.

Life came calling in 1996 and he traveled to Oahu, not realizing that it would become his permanent home. He met Maile when they both worked at a restaurant, his first job in Hawaii. Eventually they would marry on the rocky terraces overlooking Makapu'u beach.

He returned to outdoor work in the trades and began building the resume of a versatile craftsman. He soon stood out among his peers, with expert skills in carpentry, masonry, tile, and interiors. He found that this field was both practical and artful and it became his life's work. He appreciated how numbers, design, and craft produced function.

These experiences all served him well as a foreman and supervisor for Z Contractors in Honolulu. In addition, he contracted building projects independently across Oahu.

In all activities, what most set him apart from others was his warm personal style, his mellow view of life and how to live it. He was known to all whom he met as a kind-hearted, generous, and fun-loving man of keen wit and high intelligence.

On the job, he leaned heavily toward perfectionism, but was patient and always eager to share his knowledge and skills with anyone willing to learn. At play, he immersed himself in the charm of Hawaii - especially its music, food, beaches and aloha friendliness.

But two icy features of Michigan always remained close to him in his Hawaii years. One was hockey, and he was thrilled to find that Hawaii had an indoor ice rink with organized leagues for adult men. He played hockey at the Ice Palace on Oahu for nearly 20 years, his amateur "career" stopped only by the Covid-19 shutdown. The other Michigan holdover was snow skiing, which he took up during his college years and then taught his family to enjoy. They all skied the mountains of Idaho a short time before his illness was discovered.

His spiritual calling and love of music eventually led him to Halau Wa'a Episcopal Honouliuli Church where he practiced his faith and also played guitar, bass and bongos in the liturgical ensemble.

His family was always his top priority. In their happiness he found his own happiness. They liked to travel, with skiing and the Disney complexes among the favorite destinations of Maile and the kids-Dustin, Lizzie, and James. He visited Michigan relatives at a family cottage on a chilly northern lake, delighted that it was located in a place called Aloha Township.

He loved his life of devoted husband and father, son, brother, contractor, carpenter, musician, hockey player, snow skier, golfer. He had it all going. And to make everything even better, he was in Hawaii, among its endless beaches, its own genre of music to learn and celebrate, a fascinating culture that can delight a Midwest boy for a lifetime.

To soak up the magic, Tom spent many mornings and evenings at Nimitz Cove. Of the many beaches that were all around him, he kept returning to Nimitz, telling his family that he found a special privacy and personal peace when in thought among the rocks and sand, under a changing sky, watching the unending movement of the tide. He visited there often during his 8-month illness.

As word of Tom's passing got out, the internet was quickly relaying words of sadness and loss among friends and relatives, high school pals, co-workers, his fellow hockey players. Some were close by, others far away. What they shared was the sense that Tom lived every day within a special zone that the rest of us could not reach. To him, balance and proportion were tools just like the saw and the level. Smiles are easier than frowns. Love is better than any other option. He kept his toolbox filled with tools such as these, and we all are permanently marked by his use of them. But now, how do we handle this dimming of the lights, the silencing of laughter?

Besides his wife Maile, he is survived by his children Dustin, Elizabeth, and James; parents, James and Carol Gatti; sisters, Theresa Boring, Julie Brumley; brother, John Gatti.