Thomas Sweterlitsch

Thomas Sweterlitsch, age 82, of Penn Hills, PA, formerly of Canton, OH, passed away on Sunday, April 13, 2025. His parents were the late Frank and Emma Sweterlitsch. Tom is survived by his beloved wife and best friend of 53 years Rebecca and their children Jennifer, Tom and James. He was the devoted grandfather of Eloise, Cye, Dewitt and Genevieve.
Tom had a creative mind and a passion for learning new skills. After completing a BA in Economics from The Ohio State University, Tom found his true passion in cooking, becoming an executive chef in hotel restaurants. He also spent countless hours sharing the kitchen at home with his wife Becky, creating delicious food together. He was famous in the family for his swan pastries, his holiday plum pudding, his lavish breakfasts and in sharing his mother's German recipes. Once, he even led a raucous strudel party. Tom's interests also extended far beyond the kitchen. He is remembered as an inveterate tinkerer with a deep curiosity to learn crafts and sciences as diverse as woodcarving to silversmithing to electrical engineering. He was a master at DIY home repair. He was an early adopter of personal home computing, teaching himself programming languages. What his children remember the most, however, was how quickly Tom would learn a technical skill to support any interest they had, including learning brain science and the properties of sound propagation for his daughter Jennifer's science fair projects, helping his son Tom modernize his first home, and working with James to keep a vintage 1972 Volkswagen Beetle on the road, piece by piece. He was quiet but loving and had impeccable timing for a sudden, unexpected joke. His legacy reminds us to stay curious at all stages of life and pursue our interests wholeheartedly. He will be deeply missed.
Burial at a future date.
Services handled by BURKET-TRUBY FUNERAL HOME CREMATION AND ALTERNATIVE SERVICES, INC., Oakmont.