Tom was born in Fordson, Michigan (now known as Farmington, Mich.) in 1927 in his parents’ farm house. His parents were Myrtle (Mamie) and William D. Sass. Tom grew up in West Dearborn and was the youngest of four children. He had two older sisters – June and Shirley and a brother William Jr. He used to refer to his sister June as “June Bug” and his brother as “Bud”. His father was of German descent and his mother’s family were of Scottish and French Canadian ancestry. He went to Fordson High School and graduated from the U.S. Navy high school diploma program after entering the Navy at the age of 17. He trained as a Naval gunner and learned to fly airplanes which he loved. He served for one and one-half years until the WWII ended.
After his naval service, he worked at Robot Electronics where he met his wife Sara Kachadoorian of 68 years. They were married in 1950.
He often told the story of his Mother-in-law Rose who surprisingly passed the tea bag around the table for everyone to use after dinner.
He loved her Armenian cooking and baking and she cherished her “Odar” (non-Armenian) son-in-law. Tom and Sara moved the U.P. of Michigan to work with his parents managing cabins and a diner in Rapid River, Michigan in 1952. He loved to fish and hunt in this area with his father Bill. Their first child Christine was born in 1954 at St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, Mich. He loved to tell the story of how he knew which baby was his since she was the smallest baby in the hospital nursery. The other “big” babies were of Scandanavian descent. Just 15 months later, James was born in 1955. After the birth of Jim, Sara persuaded Tom to move back to the Dearborn, Mich. area to raise their family. Sara planned to finish her education at Wayne State University to become a teacher which was her dream. When the kids were about 3 and 4, Tom watched the kids in the evenings two days per week so Sara could attend Wayne State University. Sara and Tom started their own business out of the basement of their home selling and installing TV antennas and garage door openers. Jim and Christine helped answer the business phone when they were in high school, as the family business began to grow. In 1980, Tom and Sara bought a small wallpaper building on Five Mile Rd. in Livonia where their business really expanded. Tom and Sara added several additions to the building over the years to meet their growing needs. Their son Jim and then daughter- in-law Debbie were also very instrumental in running the business. Some of the employees used to call the building the “Taj Mahal” of door companies.
Tom was not only a business owner but a wonderfully involved father. He coached Jim and Chris’s baseball teams when they were growing up, took them to sporting events and taught them how to drive and swim. Chris and Jim fondly remember these activities that they shared with their father. Tom tried to teach his kids how to fish but found out that they really did not like this sport because they had to be still and quiet in the boat or they would “scare the fish away”. The family spent hours swimming in their back yard pool with relatives and friends as well. They also took many family trips together to California, NY, Boston, Florida and Jamaica.
Tom was an avid fisherman and hunter. He was able to check many items off his “bucket list” namely big game hunting in New Zealand and out west in Colorado. He traveled to New Zealand twice to hunt, one of these times was on his own when he was in his 80’s. He also started a Charter Fishing Company with his grandson Gregory who also became an avid fisherman which delighted him to no end. He finally had his “fishing buddy”. They fished every spring, summer and fall on Lake Michigan on their boat, which was docked in Frankfort, Michigan from early 1980’s on. Tom and Sara also spent many summers at their trailor home which was parked at the campground in Benzonia, Michigan near Frankfort. Chris and Grandson Gregory also enjoyed the campground with them for many summers. He also spent most of his adult life fishing on the Detroit River with his dad, friends and fishing buddies. He also loved his husky dogs – Cody, Dakota and Kodiak who were like his children. He also purchased a 1930 Model A Ford a few years ago,which was another item on his “bucket list”.
In the last 7 years of his life, Tom enjoyed his eleven “grandchildren” who were actually the children of Sara and Tom’s caregivers. He especially loved the babies – Aidan, Prezley and Legend. He also cherished the first year of his biological great grandson Liam Thomas Sheremeta’s life as well. He loved seeing his other great grandchildren Dominic and Daisy at Christmas time. In addition, he loved to watch the Tigers, Red Wings and Michigan State, University of Michigan football on TV or in person.
He loved life and lived it to the fullest with a lot of friends, acquaintances and customers. He often spent hours talking about fishing and hunting with Suburban Door customers who came into the shop. These customers would often ask about Tom after he retired. Tom did work until he was 90 years of age in the parts department at shop.
He will be greatly missed by his loving family, caregivers, friends and customers. RIP Dad. We will love you and will cherish your memory for the rest of our lives.
A visitation for Tom will be held Sunday, May 16, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM with a funeral service at 5:00 PM at Harry J. Will Funeral Home, 25450 Plymouth Rd, Redford, Mi 48239.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.HarryjWillRedford.com for the Sass family.
The Sass and Sheremeta families.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.8.18