Tom Stocum

Heaven gained another angel as our beloved Dad/Grandpa/friend Tom Stocum lost his battle with complications from cerebellar ataxia on Monday, December 16th. He was born on October 24, 1940, to Donald and Emily Stocum. Toms wife Kay and his brother John (Helen) predeceased him. He is survived by his children Michael (Wendy), Emily (David), Christopher (Wendy) and Bradford (Cori), grandchildren Tyler (Jane) and Kaitlyn (Mike and Wendy), Ray (Ashley), Nate, and Elizabeth (Chris and Wendy), and Makenzie (Brad and Cori). He left an incredible legacy in his family and will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Tom taught science at Jenny F Snapp middle school in Endicott, NY, where he also coached basketball, as well as JV baseball for Union-Endicott High School, and as his kids grew older, in the "off season" he coached them in Babe Ruth and Legion summer baseball. He also helped start and coach the mens soccer team at Whitney Point High School. Through all this he officiated high school basketball and soccer games, and "on the side" had a strawberry and blueberry farm. He was always in motion and could never sit still - his energy was boundless (which could in part be due to all the sweets he liked to eat!). He instilled a strong work ethic in his family, and always offered to help anyone who needed it. After retiring from teaching, he starting a home painting business while enjoying "puttering" around his house and the kids houses - especially when creating a "Stocum Special" hue of paint to use up extra cans of paint he had. We never knew what he would come up with! He grew up in Johnson City, NY, and that was where his love of trains started continuing late into his retirement years when he would spend hours building train sets (and rebuilding again and again). A few years ago he drove a locomotive at New Hope Valley Railroad where he also volunteered - one of his greatest thrills! He also enjoyed puzzles, and always had one going on the table - he would tell anyone who came to the house "you had to help with a puzzle piece or two!" He was an avid reader, and enjoyed Sudoku, crossword, and word finds, usually bringing one of them to wherever he went in case of downtime. He and Kay were "permanent fixtures" at the grandkids games/events. Rain or shine he/they were there to give support (and often, he gave the officials some "commentary" too!). The coach in him never left, and he was always striving to help us kids/grandkids/"friends & family" kids be the best we could be in our given sport. As a big NCSU fan, he and Kay had season tickets to the mens and womens basketball, football, and baseball games, and would cheer on the Pack proudly. Having grown up and raised kids in upstate New York, the family skated and played hockey on the ponds - he was a Whalers fan (back in the day) and had family season tickets to the Canes games which he enjoyed watching right up to the end. As the son of a Methodist minister, Tom was also very involved in church - leading Sunday school classes and bible study, and painting/fixing whatever was needed at church. He was part of the welcome committee and greeted people at the services - he never met a stranger and always had a story to share. Tom loved to travel. He would spend hours mapping out trips and stops along the way (on paper, old school!). He loved visiting new places and learning the history behind them - and of course meeting new friends along the way! As with Kay, Tom enjoyed the family trips to Disney. His favorite ride was the Splash Mountain, and we knew if we "lost" him in the park wed find him there, coming off the ride soaking wet with a grin on his face!A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 25th at the North Building at Asbury Church, 6612 Creedmoor Road in Raleigh. Following the service, we will have a casual gathering at the church including light snacks. Also, this will be a less formal service so please dress comfortably. The service will also be live streamed for those who cannot make it but wish to see the service. The link is https://asburyraleigh.org/live/ (select LiveStream, then scroll down to Dads service).In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the National Ataxia Foundation, donations can be made online at https://www.ataxia.org.
Celebration of Life and Legacy
Saturday, January 25, 2025
1:00 PM -
Asbury Methodist Church
6612 Creedmoor Rd.
Raleigh NC 27613
US
Funeral HomeCremation Society of the Carolinas
2205 East Millbrook Road
Raleigh NC - 27604
US
(919) 571-3300
(919) 877-0207
(800) 993-5333 To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Tom, please visit our Tree Store.