Obituary of Thomas William Makowski, Jr.

Thomas William Makowski, Jr., passed away peacefully at Community Medical Center on November 28^th ,2023 with his beloved wife Phyllis at his side.  Early that afternoon, the clouds lifted and ushered him to heaven. 

Thomas was born in Queens, New York and eventually settled in Bayville, NJ. Thomas met his beautiful wife Phyllis, his brown eyed girl, on a blind date that was set up by their friends in college. They went to see a movie about bats. From the very beginning of their relationship Tom showed Phyllis his genuine, kind, and protective heart.  To show Phyllis his loving nature, after the date he walked her all the way up to the fourth floor, apartment 4C, and once leaving the building would make sure the light was turned on, indicating she was inside safely.  From this point forward he would comfort her and support her by taking her to Canarsie Beach and allowing her to study for her schooling. Their love grew and would lead to an everlasting and internal love like no other. Tom and Phyllis were married in 1975 and later raised a family unit that is unstoppable. Many people would call Tom the bright light in the room wherever he was. He found a way to stay positive and to make any room a peaceful and loving environment. He was the rock for every single member of his family for an array of reasons. 

Several times Tom would drive his family miles to vacation in our new “camper van!” He installed a TV and Nintendo system in the van so the family could enjoy their vacations. His family and grandchildren mean the absolute world to him. Tom’s tag line would be “You know whatever you kids need mom and I will always be here for you.” Tom adored all of his grandchildren and would always make sure you weren’t late when you were with him! He loved being the foundation of everyone’s families. Tom traveled many places with his family including Aruba, Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Ohio, Tennessee, and a few cruises as well. Anywhere his family traveled he loved to come along and enjoy all of his family. 

In a word, Tom was inspirational and his inquisitiveness and keen intellect drove all his pursuits. You make it he found a way to fix and achieve it. Tom had many hobbies which included skiing, antiquing, amusement parks, and trains. His greatest passion was not only his family but he loved his trains. He could tell you how each and every device worked and how many functions it had. He built a train set in his house and called it his man cave. His grandson Damian absolutely loved being up there with him and hence his “Choo Choo” arm indicates he wants to go watch his grandfather’s trains. 

Tom also had a love for cars and cried the day his son bought him his dream car, a 1968 charger! Tom took his car to a few car shows and loved talking about how much he loved that car since childhood. Tom would always make each of his kids feel special every single day. Tom and his son shared a special bond through cars and determination to accomplishing anything they put their minds to. The family nicknamed the two of them human calculators.  Tom would tell his daughter Dawn about how proud he was for her hard work, dedication, and selflessness to others. He continually told his daughter Joy about how great of a mother she was and called her “his littlest one.”

Thomas is survived by his wife Phyllis Makowski; son Thomas Makowski (Aimee Sloan); daughters Dawn Maniscalco (Pietro Macauda) and Joy Makowski (Jeffrey Lawton); brother Steven Makowski; sister Mary McCormack (Robert McCormack) and grandchildren Hailey Myles, Amber Sloan, Natalie Makowski, Trinity Maniscalco, Damian Lawton.

Friends and family are invited to visit on Monday December 4th, from 8:30 AM to 10:30AM, at Freeman Manalapan Marlboro Funeral Home, 344 Route 9 North. A funeral liturgy will be held at St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church on Monday at 11:00AM. Interment will follow at Old Tennant Cemetery. To leave a condolence or find directions, visit www.freemanfuneralhomes.com