Thomas J. Margiotta

Thomas J. Margiotta, age 74 of Wayne, died peacefully while surrounded by his loving family on Sunday, May 19, 2019.

Tom’s childhood began in Upstate New York, where he was raised on a three hundred acre farm.  In 1954, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School.  He graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelors of Science in Business Management.  He was always a bright kid and good with numbers.  He had a very high IQ and was great at debating.  He certainly would have been a successful attorney, if he had chosen that path.  His earliest job was as a debt collector in Brooklyn before the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act...don’t ask questions.

Tom had been a mortgage broker for many years, operating his own firm; Concorde Mortgage, as well as a partner of Kramer Financial.  He was the President of both the National Association of Mortgage Brokers and the New Jersey League of Mortgage Lenders.  He was also a board member  of the Mortgage Bankers Association of New Jersey.  He loved finance, and he enjoyed preparing tax returns for many of his family members and friends over the years.

Tom found great satisfaction in joining the B.P.O.E. Wayne Elks Lodge #2181.  He held virtually every office, ascending to the highest position of District Deputy Grand Exalter Ruler, where he was responsible for overseeing numerous lodges within the district.  He exceeded his fundraising goals each year for the veterans and special needs children.  He enjoyed volunteering to dress up as “Elroy the Elk” for Wayne Day, and “Santa Claus” at the lodge.  He was very proud of the Elks and enjoyed all of his years as a member.  He was especially proud that his son Paul, followed in his footsteps at the lodge.  He even met his wife, Barbara, at the Elks Lodge.  Up until his passing, he was still serving as Trustee Chairman.

Tom and Barbara dated for nearly ten years before Tom proposed, and they were married on September 14, 2008.  In the years since, they have enjoyed numerous cruises and memorable vacations all over the world.  Tom had a sense of adventure.  One of his favorite vacation excursions was zip-lining through the Costa Rican jungle.  He especially loved their Mediterranean cruise and getting to explore Italy.  He surely knew how to have fun, and together they have enjoyed twenty-two blissful years together.

Tom was a straight shooter and always called a spade a spade.  Similar to his father, he always wanted things done his way, otherwise known as the right way, or as he would say, “the Margiotta way”.  It must have been the Sicilian in him.  This was a trait he would pass on to his kids and grandkids.

His family would always joke of his lapse of judgement.  He was notorious for backing into cars.  He always warned his neighbors not to park behind his driveway.  Some of his infamous stories include: sending his four year old granddaughter into the A&P alone, chasing his grandkids after they let a frog loose in his house from the pool, taking his grandkids to fly kites and yelling at them because they weren’t good at it, and leaving his granddaughter unsupervised riding a bicycle that she was stuck on until her parents came home.

As he got older, his children and grandchildren began to see a softer side to him.  Tom was a family man.  He was so proud of each of his children and grandchildren.  He was the true definition of a Patriarch.  He was always offering to help family and friends with their projects, and he loved doing things for other people.

Tom was a hilarious story teller and always spoke of “the good old days”.   One of his most memorable stories was when he was a loan officer and turned down a man who later ended up robbing a bank.  The robbery ended up inspiring the movie `Dog Day Afternoon’.  He would always say that if it weren’t for him, the movie would not exist because there would not have been a robbery if he gave the loan to the character played by Al Pacino.

Christmas Eve dinner with the seven fishes was a family tradition that carried on for more than thirty years alternating between his home and his sister’s home.  The night always ended with a card game followed by opening up presents at midnight.

Tom was an avid scala, pinochle, and poker player.  He had ran and played in many Texas Hold’em Tournaments with most of the money benefiting charities.

In his retirement, he continued helping others with his financial skills by working with the Paterson Housing Authority and assisting residents with refinancing their homes.  He also volunteered his time with AARP to prepare Senior Citizen income taxes at no cost.  In addition, he served as a Trustee at Stonebridge of Wayne Homeowners Association along with his loyal sidekick Pepper.

Tom was a devoted husband to his wife Barbara, and cherished father to Frank and his wife Lucy of Brooklyn, Augustine and his wife Lisa of Wayne, Paul and his wife Mari of Wayne, Natalie and her husband Don of Haskell, Christopher and his wife Allison of Paramus, and daughter-in-law Danielle and her husband Dave of Wayne.

He was the loving grandfather of Candace and her husband JohnAnthony, Nicole, Zachary, Brandon, Devin, Shane, Kaden, Dylan, Samantha, Anthony, Tommy, Justina and her husband Herbert, Sally Ann and her husband Cosimo, Frankie, Sophia, Madison, Cooper, Brody, Hannah, and Maddie.

He was dearly loved by his great-grandchildren Rocco, Olivianna, Alysia, Juliana, and Leila.

He was the beloved brother to Victoria and Antonette and her husband Victor.  He was the  caring son-in-law to Barbara, and brother-in-law to Richard and his wife Lisa, Carolyn, and Larry.

He was predeceased by his mother Mary, his father Paul, and his brother Paul.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Elks National Foundation  or the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad, PO Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07470.   (you can click on the blue text to be brought to the organizations donation page)