Thomas J. Spillane, Sr.

Thomas J. Spillane, Sr., age 81, of Pompton Plains and a former longtime resident of Caldwell and Belleville, passed away on Saturday, June 12, 2021.

Born in Newark and raised in Belleville Township, Tom was the oldest of Thomas F. and Rebecca “Betty” (Higgins) Spillane’s five children.

While attending Belleville High School, Tom got his first job as a clerk at Patty’s Drug Store in Newark. When he graduated with his classmates in 1958, he began fulltime work in the mailing department of New Jersey Bell. It was a “foot-in-the-door” position in which Tom was required to sort internal mail and deliver it by truck to all the departments within New Jersey Bell’s various locations. During the span of the next thirty-plus years, Tom remained a loyal employee who was there when New Jersey Bell changed names to Bell Atlantic and ultimately Verizon. He moved on quickly from the mail department with a promotion to the central office as a technician and, after taking night classes at Rutgers University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1972, he ultimately ascended to the position of senior engineer before retiring in 1992.

Tom enjoyed a couple years off before his wife Barbara encouraged him to explore new job possibilities. His quest for his next pursuit lead Tom to a position as a social worker with Essex County Welfare. After working there for sixteen years, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He hung in there for two more years before retiring completely in 2012.

Tom met Barbara Kuratnick on a blind date set up by friends Sandy and John McNally. That first date was to a party and many dates followed that one. Even when Barbara left for college at Kent State University in Ohio, they maintained a long-distance relationship. In 1964, Tom attended Barbara’s college graduation and, while there, he popped the question – “Will you marry me?” Four months later, on Friday, November 21, 1964, they publicly declared their wedding promises in a marriage ceremony at St. Peters Church in Belleville. After a reception at the Princeton Inn in Belleville, the newlyweds loaded some suitcases into their 1964 Volkswagen Bug and headed north for New England for a weeklong honeymoon. Volkswagens were notorious for having no heat but Tom and Barbara had each other’s love to keep them warm.

Upon their return from their honeymoon, Tom and Barb’s first abode, a third-floor apartment in a house on Academy Street in Belleville awaited them. Five years later, they were able to scrape up the money to purchase their own home at 90 Tappan Ave. in Belleville. While there, they were blessed with the first two of their three children – Patricia “Trish” and Thomas Jr. In 1975, they moved again, this time to 53 Lloyd Place in Belleville where daughter, Melanie was born. They remained in that home for the next 27 years. When it was time to move again, they bought a home in Caldwell located at 6 Beekman Hill Road. The next eighteen years were spent there until they decided to move to Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains in 2020.

You could say that Tom was a true Belleville boy. Belleville ran through his blood. Though his graduation from Belleville High School was over 60 years ago, Tom remained in close contact with many of his classmates to the present, especially his buddy Danny Riordan who he met when he was just two years old as next door neighbors. Even in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic making it impossible to get together, Tom and his friends would virtually chat. In adulthood, Tom was active in a myriad of different Belleville endeavors. He served as a former member of the Belleville Board of Education where, as Vice President, he had the honor of publicly presenting his daughter Trish with her high school diploma. He was an avid member of the Belleville Democratic Club, was elected as Belleville’s Third Ward Councilman and rose to the position of Deputy Mayor of the town. As an enthusiastic member of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce, one of his favorite annual activities was dressing up as Santa Claus and landing from a helicopter to give out Christmas gifts to the excited children. He was a charter member of the Belleville Optimist Club and served as the club’s president several years. He also loved getting together with other Belleville couples for dinner and  families for group vacations to the Jersey shore. And of course, who could forget the annual trips with his buddies to Hilton Head to play golf? When Tom and Barbara moved to Cedar Crest Village in 2020, Tom was so excited to find out that they had a democratic club he could join. He immediately volunteered for the club’s program committee and was able to sponsor a few speakers before the COVID pandemic shut everything down. He and Barb also made some friends by participating in the bocce ball club. Tom loved his 1963 Corvette convertible. Unfortunately, one night it was stripped by thieves for much-in-demand and impossible-to-replace-parts. They even took the seats and the convertible top. That was the end of that car. He was a big Boston Red Sox fan who frequently tried to catch games at Yankee Stadium when his beloved Bosox were in town.

Above all else, Tom’s family was his greatest passion. Throughout their childhood his daughters and son were treated to regular trips to Disney, vacations down the shore to Wildwood Crest and Lavallette, to the Poconos, Wallpack NJ and to Scranton, PA. There were also long drives to visit family in Florida. Those drives were so frequent that Tom’s wood-paneled Chevy Caprice Classic Wagon almost knew the way by itself. At Christmas, that car would be filled with three excited kids as it headed in the other direction for a trip to Santa’s Workshop in North Pole, NY. Tom served as a Cub Scout Leader in Belleville Pack 301 when his son Tom was young and he volunteered at the YMCA in their scouting program in which his son Thomas was an Indian Guide and his daughter Melanie was an Indian Princess. Tom convinced all the other fathers to join him in taking their little Indian Princess’s on a camping trip, twice a year to Frost Valley in upstate New York. It was here that Tom earned the nickname “Big Bear” that some of his friends still use today. Tom’s devotion to his daughters and son was only matched by his devotion to his nine grandchildren. You could guarantee that Tom would be in attendance at all of their sporting events and dance and music recitals. In fact, he was so faithful and encouraging that they unanimously declared Grandpa their number one fan. Tom and Barbara loved to travel. When they were engaged to be married they took a trip together in Barb’s 1958 Chevy. The trip went great until the car’s engine blew. In more recent years they enjoyed cruises to Alaska and the Mediterranean and trips abroad to Italy, Russia, Ukraine, and Ireland. Aaaah, Ireland! Tom was so proud of his Irish heritage!

Tom was a great human being. He truly was the eternal optimist. He was a compassionate man. He was a loyal friend and the best grandfather a kid could ask for. If you needed a hand with something, Tom was always happy to offer his time and wisdom.  

Tom was the beloved husband of Barbara (nee Kuratnick), blessed in marriage for 56 years. He was the loving father of: Patricia and husband Tim Schaffer of West Caldwell, Thomas Jr. and wife Stephanie Spillane of Rockaway Township, and Melanie and husband Shelby Tuhari of Wayne; cherished grandfather of: Ryan, Kyle, and Luke Schaffer, TJ(Thomas III), Tyler, and Mackenzie Spillane, and Justin, Shelby, and Chelsea Tuhari; dear brother of Patty and late husband Tony Licastri of Hillsborough Township, Jeane and husband Ralph Pacheco of Rutherford, Mark and wife Lisa Spillane of Sparta, and Susan and husband Richard Schneider of Hillsboro Township. He was predeceased by his much-loved parents Thomas F. and Betty (Higgins) Spillane.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Tom’s name are asked to consider Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or a charity of your choice:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

1275 York Ave.

New York, NY  10065.

To donate online, click here.