Thomas M. "Tom" Charles

Thomas Michael Charles, 69 - Best In Show
The world lost one of the great ones, maybe even its best one, late Tuesday night January 21, 2025. He would have hated having the words great or best used about him in such a public way but that doesn't make them any less true. Most people called him Tom, there were a few who called him Moose, his children just called him Dad
And what a great Dad he was. He would always stop and explain things we didn't understand and never lied to us (unless he was making some wild claim about our mother and him being Olympic figure skaters in their youth). He nurtured our interests and joined in as much as he could even if he found certain hobbies to be a bit dorky. There was one particularly grueling game of Age of Empires that lasted over twelve hours because he didn't want to ruin the fun by claiming victory. He especially enjoyed when our interests overlapped like with music
Tom was a lifelong rock and roller. Many in the area knew him from his decades as the bass player for the White Mustache Band. Rock music was a love he carried with him throughout his life and could be heard playing loudly from his garage whenever he was out there.
But as loud as he liked his music, he liked his cars even louder. Tom's passion was in rebuilding classic cars and save for the few nuts and bolts he'd let some of his friends and family turn, he did all of the work himself. He was a perfectionist when it came to his cars and it paid off with many Best In Show trophies which he would begrudgingly step into the spotlight to accept. He preferred that his work speak for itself.
Tom loved his cars but that love was only a flicker when compared to the love he had for his wife Kathy. The two of them met at the Bath Dairy Festival in 1971 in what they both called love at first sight. Their love has only grown from there and continues to grow in spite of his passing. They would have been married fifty years this year and as his wife says, "There wasn't a bad one in there." Tom was one of a kind, truly Best In Show.
Thomas Charles was originally from Bath, NY and resided in Thurston, NY for most of his life. He worked as a Maintenance Supervisor for Kraft Foods in Campbell, NY. He is survived by his wife Kathryn; his children: Jeremy and A.B., his daughter-in-law, Laura; his sister-in-law, Bonnie and her family; his extended family, his friends in the local car communities, and all of the other friends he made along the way.
In lieu of a memorial service, his family and friends will be hosting a classic car related event on a date yet to be determined. Carpenter's Funeral Home, 14 E. Pulteney St., Corning has been entrusted with Tom's care.