Thomas Gostomsky

TIPP CITY - Thomas Stanley Gostomsky, 78, passed away on March 16, 2025, surrounded by his sons and daughter-in-law, after a significant stroke the week before, compounded by earlier health issues since he was in his late 30's

Tom attended Butler High School and was an avid livestock enthusiast and often a regular champion at the Montgomery Country Fair for his prized livestock.

After school, Tom enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1965 and was transferred to the Fourth Marine Corps District where he achieved the rank of Sergeant in September 1967. He fought in Vietnam, receiving the rifle sharp-shooter badge, Vietnamese Service Medal w/1*, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnamese Campaign Medal w/Device, and Purple Heart Medal. He was honorably discharged in December of 1967.

In 2023, he was one of the few lucky veterans who were selected to attend an Honor Flight from Dayton to Washington DC and spent the day touring DC to see important veteran monuments including Vietnam Memorial Wall; Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial Monument, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the World War II Memorial, and importantly, the Marine Corps War Memorial established to remember the Marines who gave their lives to their country since 1775.

He remained an active member of the local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and was an active part of service recognition of veterans being laid to rest with honors, He was an active member of the Tipp City Eagles and the Troy Fish and Game Club through the majority of his days and brought him great joy each week as he saw friends throughout his life, including the yearly turkey hunt he enjoyed partnered on with his son, Mitch.

Anyone who met Tom knew his passion for hunting, fishing, camping, trapping, and living fully in the outdoors. He took pleasure in being the everyman's Renaissance man, that person you could count on to help you fix anything or solve any problem.

He conveyed his extensive knowledge into launching his own business, Gostomsky Masonry, where he quickly became known for quality work, integrity, honesty, and a love of mentoring new masons. He was also a quiet, practiced artist who showed how delicate and malleable brick could be, creating fantastic, one-of-a-kind designs that still grace some of his most famous projects.

He was a tough but fair teacher, believing in the value of a hard days' work, proudly putting your name on the work you did whether it was a simple support wall or a complex twist of stone that had never been seen before. He is noted as one of the mentors of many of the brick and block masons who still practice in the area today. He was especially proud of his son, Matthew, who picked up the masonry skills and started Gostomsky Masonry LLC in 2005 to carry on the legacy.

Tom might have been known most famously for his love of interesting people and good stories. He collected a large group of friends who found his love of infectious fun. His summer houseboat vacations to Cumberland Lake were highly prized invitations, as were his winter jaunts to Michigan to ride the trails on snowmobiles. At a towering 6'4" and 250 lbs., he was known affectionately as "Big Ski" during the heyday of CB radio, and it wasn't unusual for him to give the signal to his trail mates of snowmobiles to pull off for a quick break, which always involved passing around a bottle of Chambord or other beverage to top off the trip and warm the insides.

Tom's love and respect for his work teams expanded into a yearly pig roast where he would spit the pig himself on a home-made spit and have an entire evening with family, friends, team members, and for those of us to be old enough, to join in the early hours of the evening before he would give the biggest, most loving bear hugs before sending us off to bed. Many of us remember those parties as legendary, not just for the food and hospitality, but for the unmatched mix of his most interesting people who all cared for one another and loved to celebrate good food, good friends, and good times.

As Tom's business was starting to flourish, we noticed he took more time in spending things that brought him passion. He became an excellent gardener, one that almost produced all the food we needed during the winter. He learned the current way to can and preserve while also kept his old Polish and Lithuanian traditions alive using old bourbon or scotch barrels to make vats of pickles, sauerkraut, and cabbage rolls. As we got older, we realized how lucky we were to be exposed to so many different ways the world worked, and how we all were a part of that.

Tom is preceded in death by his mother, Anne and Steve Gostomsky of Vandalia, his son, Mitch Gostomsky of Bethel, his brother Don Gostomsky of Troy, his ex-wife, Amber Studebaker of Bethel and his granddaughter Hannah, of Tipp City. He is survived by his sisters Joanne (Gostomsky) and Tom Lauber of Vandalia, a sister Dolly (Gostomsky) and Darrell Stephens of Tipp City, a sister-in-law Patti (Swartz) Gostomsky of Troy, a son Robert Gostomsky in Piqua, his son Beau Gostomsky and his two partners Jeff Edmondson and Dr. Eric Christensen of Kansas City, Matt and Nicole Gostomsky (Mason, Reece, and Hayden), granddaughter Allison Gostomsky of Vandalia, his granddaughters Tamme DeVer of Kettering and Ana Gostomsky of Texas.

He is also remembered fondly and with love by the vast number of cousins, aunts, and uncles, across the Gostomsky and Studebaker families, the families of his friends, and anyone else who met him and couldn't imagine Tom not being part of their life.

To pay respect to Tom, Frings and Bayliff will be conducting visiting for family from 9:30am-10am, and regular visitation through 12 noon on Saturday, March 22, 2025. A service will be conducted at Frings and Bayliff Funeral Home at 12 noon, including a military honor service that will then continue on to St. John's cemetery for his interment next to his parents, Anne and Steve Tomski, including full military honor salute. Following services, Matt and Nicole Gostomsky have invited participants back to their house (6230 Troy-Frederick Road) for light refreshments. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to: Ohio Hospice of Dayton (https://www.ohioshospice.org/dayton/), or the Dayton VA Medical Center (https://www.cdceportal.va.gov/donate_online/) or any other charity that brings you joy and helps make the world just a little bit kinder. Online condolences may be expressed at www.fringsandbayliff.com.