- Welcome to Daley Life Celebration Studio, where we Celebrate the Color of Life.
Thomas – Branco
It’s tough not to love a guy whose truck is full of Butterscotch Krimpets and Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes. Tom’s warm smile and easy going nature made it even tougher. He was an asset around the house. He was a humble man who liked to cook and maintain the yard. When not doing chores around the house you’d most likely find him in his special spot with his remote in hand either yelling at a football game or falling asleep. He used his lifelong athletic skills as a coach with Tee Ball and Basketball. He believed the Godfather was the only movie that needed to be watched more than once, and with marshmallows in his mouth he did a spot on Brando. If near a body of water he’d have a pole in his hand. He’d always share his catch and probably even cook it for you. He lived his faith and was active at the Evangelical U.M. Church.rnA young woman named Diane (nee Coles) would approach him while they both stocked shelves at Thriftway. He tested her allegiances on their first date, an Eagles/Dallas game: fitting for a 24-year ticket holder. Their marriage would be blessed by children: Thomas, Nicholas and Adina. He is also survived by his brother, Nicholas and sisters, Maryann Haberle and Judy Hozalski.rnCome celebrate 51 great years Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Daley Life Celebration Studio, Swedesboro and Wednesday from 9 to 9:45 a.m. at Evangelical U.M. Church, 14 West Cohawkin Rd., Clarksboro 08020 where there will be a service at 10 a.m. Donations in lieu of flowers to the church will be appreciated.
26 Comments
Uncle Tom is a remarkable man who will be GREATLY missed!! He loved his family, friends and the Eagles very much! Our prayers are with Aunt Diane and the kids…
To my dear brother, I love you and I will really miss you. Your life was cut to short! I will remember you always especially while watching the eagles. Say hi to mom and dad in heaven for me. We will meet again someday.nLove always,nyour sister Judy and Joe too
My son ben and his son were in Cub Scouts together and he still remembered me when I would see him now. My prayers are with his family.
Diane, Tommy and Family, rnI’m sorry to hear about your loss. I was really shocked when I hear about it. You guys are in my prayers.rn~~Julia
I am so sorry to hear of your father’s (husband’s) passing. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.
Dear Diane, Thomas, Nicholas, and Adina,rnrnWe are praying for you all because of the tragic loss of your husband and dad Thomas. May God bless you all and give you comfort at this time.rnrnWith Love,rnrnCharles and Debbie Briggs
rn We will miss Tom’s smile and his Monday morning Eagles talk. Tom and I both shared a fondness for fishing and alway talked about our adventures. I first met Tom when we were both working in Delaware county twenty years ago if there is one thing I can say it’s that Tom loved his Family!
Tom will be missed by the many many of us who loved him so dearly. I will never again look at a Tasty Kake without thinking of him and his laughter. He will forever be reembered by his love for Dianne and his wonderful children, Thomas, Nick and Adina. He lives in your hearts and will always be a part of you.
Words can not express our shock and sympathy for you Diane, and your kids, and the rest of Tom’s family when we heard from Judy of Tom’s early departure from this life. Our prayers are going up to the heavenly father who knows all our grief, to be your constant companion during these diffcult days ahead. May He give you a peace beyond human understanding.We are encouraged to know that Tom had a relationship with His Lord and is now in His presence ! Many people will have no idea what you are going through. I lost my first husband in his 40’s and I can identify with your pain. Though it does not seem like it now, trust God and He WILL get you through this ! though your life will never be the same. Again our condolences and love and prayers. Rick and Carroll Anderson
I am so sorry, Branco family. I am still stunned by all of this. Mr. Branco was awesome. And I know he’s happy in heaven. I’m praying for all of you. 🙂
Our deepest condolences to the entire Branco family on your loss. We will keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers and hope that you’ll find strength in knowing that Tom will always be with you; God bless.
I will truly miss my Christian brother and good friend Tom and all the serious and not so serious conversations we have had over the years. I usually saw him at church on most Sundays and before the service started he would fill me in on his Eagles prediction or give me his analysis of a past game. I would see him some mornings when I stopped for coffee at the Woodbury Heights or Thorofare WaWa. About half the time I could convince him to take a 5 minute break and let me buy him a cup of coffee. He would always make certain that the clerk knew his coffee was paid for so that it wasn’t perceived any other way. He had a great sense of humor so I would sometimes pretend I was buying a snack from a Tastykake competitor. He would always give me that “look” and that Tom Branco grin whenever I did it. We also compared notes on our striped bass fishing adventures. Our last fishing conversation centered around the 43″ striped bass he caught this fall and the one sent to us in a photo through e-mail. I can remember him telling me he had such a great friend who took him fishing. Tom said,”all I do is show up. My friend takes me to the fishing spot, hands me a pole, and even baits my hook.” Of course I had to “bust” him about that last part resulting in that big Tom Branco smile. I will surely miss our random coffee breaks, and our church, football, and fishing talks. If you didn’t know Tom and wanted to know the kind of guy he was and what his beliefs and character were like, just look at his family and you will know for sure.
Words cannot express the extreme sadness we feel at the passing of Tom. I think we are still in shock. Your loss is our loss, as well. I still see him sitting in the pews, being our critic for our Praise Team volume, or for Thomas’s drums; standing around the coffee pot down in the kitchen between services, looking to see what baked goodie was there that day. He was so supportive of all of us, but especially so in the recent passing of a dear friend. We didn’t have football talks, but we did have fishing talks. He knew we loved Butterscotch Krimpets, and he always found a way to make sure some made it to our car for a long ride. We will truly miss that smile. You know you are all in our constant thoughts and prayers. We are there for all of you.
Dearest Diane, Thomas, Nicholas, and Adina! I am so deeply sorry for your loss of your precious husband and father so suddenly. What an absolutely awesome guy Tom was. I am so deeply greatful to have known him. He was always so full of life and so funny and warm. I would see him walking down the hall at church and say, “Hi Handsome.” He was so cute as he would look all around and say, “You can’t be talking to me.” I’d tell him oh yes I am and give him a hug. Tom knew how much I love the TastyKake Oatmeal Raisin bars. I would always tease him about stopping whenever he was out driving and tell him to give me a box. He always waved if I saw him driving. Then last summer while over at your house, he came home and handed me a box of Raisin bars. It was so sweet. Now it will be a very special time whenever I eat them as I will fondly remember what a great guy he was. Heaven is a very lucky place now to have him there with our Lord and Savior. You are all very precious to me and are in my prayers. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you to help ease your pain. Continue to trust in our Lord, dearest Branco’s. He will help you through this very difficult time. My deepest sympathies are with you. Thank you for sharing this very special youtube segment on your precious Tom. It is so comforting to look at his sweet, smiling face. He will be greatly missed by all of us who love him so dearly. God Bless All Of You!n With much love and sympathy,n Beverly Guy
Diane and children, I offer my deepest sympathy on the sudden and tragic passing of Tom. Tom was a fun guy to be around and I will fondly remember the good times we spent together with the boys in scouting. Also I will miss the impropto meetings we would have in my work place when he would come in to deliver Tastykakes to the cafeteria. I would look for his truck and then go and we would spend 15-20 minutes talking and trying to solve all the world’s problems, like whats wrong with Eagles for example. Tom will be truly missed by all that knew him, and in time we will all smile whenever we think of him. God Bless and you all are in my thoughts.
Diane and family,rn We are so saddened by your loss. You have been, and will remain in our thoughts and prayers. God bless you all, and know that Tom is at the Lord’s side.
Diane & Family,rnrnMy condolences on the sudden loss of your Husband & Father. Tom was always a happy fun loving truly Eagles spirited person. During Troop 59 campouts & events there were always interesting & funny stories to hear from Tom about his adventures in life. You are in my prayers at this time of your loss. May God Bless & Comfort You. With Care, Greg Sleet
DIANE,CHILDREN AND FRIENDS, I HAVE KNOWN TOMMY SINCE 1978,WHEN WE WORKED AT THRIFTWAY. WE ALL STARTED THERE TOGETHER AND BECAME SORT OF LIKE A FAMILY. MOST OF US WERE YOUNG AND UNATTACHED AND WE WENT OUT A LOT. WE HAD GREAT TIMES AND GREAT MEMORIES. THIS OF COURSE WAS BEFORE TOMMY MET DIANE. WHEN THEY MET IT WAS ALL OVER FOR TOMMY HE WAS IN LOVE!!!! I SAW TOMMY NOT TO LONG AGO AND WE HAD A FEW GREAT LAUGHS ABOUT HIM LOSING SOME HAIR AND HOW WE BOTH HAD GAINED SOME WEIGHT. I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER TOMMY AS A GENUINE NICE GUY. WITH MUCH SORROW, MARY IACOPI-SCHOMBER
our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. He will always be in our hearts. He is gone but not forgotten. We will miss you. Rest in Peace.
Dear Diane and Family,rn rn I am so sorry to hear of your great loss. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this time.rnTina Murray and Family
Our thoughts and prayers go out to your family. He was a good man. He will be missed
It was another year on a frigid January day. I would arrive at the home of the Branco’s to see Tom place his hands on his hips and stare into my car. Someone else would probably have made a getaway about now. Not Tom. He would say, “Here, let me clear some room and get my cart.” For his beloved Adina, he would do anything. “How many do you have?” The reply usually numbered in the hundreds. And he, often accompanied by Diane, Thomas, Nicholas or Adina would help to carry all of those Girl Scout cookies into their home for safe keeping until sale day. That’s just the kind of people they are. I’m not sure what we would have done without them. What I do know is that we are so grateful to have known Tom and his family.
Dear Diana and family;rn rn My thoughts and prayers are with you. If you should need anything just ask.rnrnPaulette
i was so sad to hear of your loss. i worked at west deptford wawa for 4 years and met tom when i first started. he was a very personable funny guy. he always had a smile and would always joke with me about who was gonna check him out. he was a great guy and i knew that just in those 4 short years.
The feelings we feel today are strong and emotional. That hurts with the sting of your loss. We can?t bring Tom back, but what we do have are Great Great memories that will live forever long and strong.rnI remember a couple of years ago when Tom, Thomas, Nick, myself and a few other were disciples in a church pageant before Easter. I sat next to Tom; he was a riot during the practices. His joy of life was felt and will always stick in my mind. When we went on the mission trip to Kentucky last year, Tom stayed home. I talked to him before we left. You could see it in his eyes he didn?t want to be away from his family even thought he said he didn?t want to go, I knew he did. rnI can?t remember a time you didn?t see a smile on his face although I know you can tell me different. Just look at all your family pictures. Not a one without a smile. His pride in his family was written all over him. He left a great legacy in his children. We will always see him, even today in the reflection of his family. You can?t always control everything that happens in your family. A good indicator of Tom?s life can be seen in you and his children. Tom has given all of us a gift a memories of a great man and a reminder that we all should have a joy of life that he had. My wish for you Diane, Thomas, Nick, and Adina is that all can feel the comfort in that he still lives though all of you, and always will. rn