Thomas C. Cummings Jr.

Thomas C. Cummings Jr. entered eternal life on March 7, 2026.

Tom was born at Lutheran Hospital in Brooklyn, New York on January 9, 1937. As a child, "Little Tommy" was lively, energetic, and - as an only child - the center of his parents' world. Tom Sr. and Dorothy (née Pardy) raised him amidst a large and spirited clan of Pardys, Cummings, and Christys. That extended family life, rooted in the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, shaped his character and his outlook for the rest of his life.

Tom attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School in Cypress Hills and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. A gifted runner, he won the New York City High School Mile in 1955 and went onto Providence College with a track scholarship, graduating in 1959. He then attended Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, Rhode Island, where he was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy.

It was during his time at Providence College that Tom met Elaine A. Caron on a fateful blind date. They married on April 9, 1960, and their first adventure together was the long drive down Route 1 from Newport, Rhode Island, all the way to Key West, Florida, where Tom reported for his first duty post. It was the beginning of a long and wonderful journey.

Tom and Elaine raised five children and made their home for most of those years in Massapequa, New York, where Tom was an active and devoted parishioner at St. Rose of Lima. His Catholic faith was a constant in his life, and he remained faithful to it until his death. In 2003, he and Elaine left New York and settled in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where they became cherished members of St. Michael's Parish for over twenty years.

Tom spent thirty years with Shell Oil, covering various sales territories in the New York City metro area - an ideal role for a man who genuinely loved the city and everything it had to offer. The 1980s were good to him, and he embodied the old adage: he did not live to work; he worked to live. Just like the famous New Yorker magazine cover, Tom felt New York was the center of the universe. He was happy to complain about the crowds and the chaos. In fact, to avoid crowds we often went to the Bronx Zoo in the dead of winter. We got to know more polar bears than lions; but it was fun! Crowds and chaos notwithstanding, he never stopped enjoying the restaurants - Lüchow's, Peter Luger's, Ponticello's in Queens - or the bars, especially Mitchell's in Midtown. He was a New Yorker through and through.

Cousins filled a large and cherished place in the life of this only child. He loved the Wollwebers, Gumbrechts, Christys, Muellers, Keuchlers, Gribbons, and McCanns. Among them, none were more special than Gerard and Gracie Wollweber, with whom Tom grew up under the same roof at 123 Hale Avenue. The "Three Musketeers" are all now united in God's love in eternity. We are certain Gracie and Gerard were waiting for him, along with his beloved parents.

Tom was devoted to family, generous to a fault, and always willing to help - but perhaps even more characteristically, always ready to celebrate. He was a man of great exuberance and genuine joy, with a rich sense of humor that delighted everyone who met him. No one could ever accuse him of not enjoying life.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Dorothy Cummings; his cousins Gerard and Gracie Wollweber; and his son-in-law, E. Roger Burch. Tom will be deeply missed by his wife of almost 66 years, Elaine; daughters Dorothy (Pace, Florida), Ellie (Massapequa, New York), Sarah (Surrey, England) and Lenor (Myrtle Beach); son Thomas III (South Bend, Indiana); daughter-in-law Kathleen, sons-in-law James, Michael and Paul; sister-in-law, Pauline; nephews Christian and Matthew; and his grandchildren Emily, Olivia, James, Henry, Christopher, William, Robert, Charlotte, Eleanor, Margaret, Thomas IV, Charles and Anne and his great grandson, Elliott.

Tom's love and support of his children and grandchildren was strong and yet, above everyone else, there was Elaine. Another adage Tom lived by was "The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." And love her he did, openly and abundantly. That love showed itself in the fun and laughter that defined their home. It showed itself, too, in the way he listened to her like he did to no one else. Whenever he would careen a little out of control, she reigned him in - and he readily acquiesced. More than once, his kids would find him calling friends on a Saturday afternoon, after a particularly lively Friday evening, to apologize in case he had offended anyone. He would make those calls while Elaine remained busy in the kitchen - though always within earshot, making certain he followed through. That was Tom. That was them. We, their children, loved them both because they loved us with the same passion and fullness that they shared for each other.

A funeral mass will be offered on August 7, 2026 at 11AM at St. Michael's Catholic Church, Murrells Inlet. It will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person. Burial will follow the mass at St. Michael's Columbarium, which is just to the left side of the church.

To view these details online or to offer words of comfort through the online guestbook, please visit www.burroughsfh.com.

Burroughs Funeral Home and Cremation Service (843.651.1440) of Murrells Inlet is assisting the family with arrangements.