Thomas James Bergholz Sr.

Thomas James Bergholz, Sr.

The King of Firewood, Thomas James Bergholz, Sr., age 66, of Monroeville, New Jersey, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 31st, 2026. A graduate of Kingsway High School & Gloucester Co. Vocational Diesel Technical School, or as they would say, "Kingsway's very own Paul Bunyan-chops wood by the hour…carefree, heterogenous personality…" (See yearbook). Tom went on to create his legacy, following in his family's footsteps with the creation of Bergholz's Tree Services. The term Bergholz is from German origin meaning "mountain wood" or "mountain forest". A symbol of true connection to the nature atmosphere, which Thomas loved. A self-employed lumberjack, loving the smell of fresh-cut wood, serenity in the Poconos, and a cool but fast dirt-bike or boat ride, Tom enjoyed life.

Tom enjoyed working and raising his children to understand the value of hard work and sacrifice. Not many 8-year-old boys can perfectly sharpen a chainsaw or move heavy equipment around, but Tom did. Even his daughter would come home from school and deliver heavy cords of firewood at age 16. It's just what they knew, hard work. He made sure of it. From long work days to long family four-wheeler rides were the perfect endings to the day. Tom battled Multiple Sclerosis since the early 1990's and has lived a stubborn life, which is no surprise to anyone who knew him, until his last day. When he could no longer walk, he would drive his blue expedition around, dog in tow, and stop and see everyone and anyone; they always knew to walk out to him. When he could no longer drive, he took his electric scooter anyplace that had clear roads, with his charger, because his adventures were all day long. He thoroughly enjoyed disposable cameras, which became harder and harder to find, so he could take candid photos of his son's doing what they do best: playing his favorite Ms. PacMan. Tom even humbled the DMV workers who knew he could not get inside, but would attend to him from his vehicle.

His stories always included a long road trip someplace, in his 1978 Ford Pickup Truck he proudly bought brand new; old trains & collecting model trains; radio blaring his favorite Journey or Reo Speedwagon song; breaking his arm because a tree fell on it; restoring his prized 1969 Mach 1 Mustang; benching 500lbs in Hoglen's basement; clearing off parts of Route 55 and the numerous golf courses in South Jersey; his CR 450R dirtbike; never missing a loud Nascar race, or especially the Indy 500, which were all VHS taped.

Life was certainly not easy, but we knew, it could always be worse. Tom's favorite phrase, "those who have will lose, those who don't, can't," derived from Matthew 25:29. A phrase which suited him well to utilize the resources, gifts, talents and abilities you have and continue to actively invest in stewardship and responsibility. A gift that continues to carry on from one generation to the next. As Tom would say, "It's Time for Me to Fly".

Thomas is survived by his children: Thomas Jr., Daniel (Jessica), Gunar (Allie), & Carey (Michael); his Mother Charlotte Bergholz; his brother Walter (Theresa), sisters Marlene (Tim) and Lisa (Alan); and grandchildren, Lisa, Emily, Enzo, Luciana, Sawyer, Gunnar, and Eli. Thomas is predeceased by his father Walter Bergholz, Sr., and his brother Bruce Bergholz. He is survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, uncles and aunts.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, February 6th, 2026 at the Adams Funeral Home, 64 Broad Street, Woodstown, NJ 08098. The family will begin to greet those who wish to pay their respects starting at 3 PM with the service to follow at 5 PM. Burial is private and at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers the family has suggested that donations can be made to the Salem County Humane Society, PO Box 214, Carneys Point, NJ 08098. adamsfuneralhome.org