Thomas Kowalewski

Thomas (Tom) Kowalewski, 71, of Columbia passed away Friday, October 11th surrounded by loved ones. Friends may gather, Saturday, October 26 from 1-3pm at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 West Columbia, MO. A celebration of Tom’s life will follow at 3pm.

Tom was born on January 18th, 1953 to Aleksy Kowalewski and Helena (Rutkowski) Kowalewski in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up there with his parents and older sister Nina enjoying the coast and going to baseball games. After moving from Baltimore to Columbia to go to the University of Missouri, he met and fell in love with his wife Shirley, and they spent 44 happy years together. He is also survived and missed by his daughter from his first marriage Elizabeth McWilliams and her sons Aidan and Miles; son Aleksy Kowalewski and his daughters Ana, Hailey, and Mila; daughter Ginny Kowalewski and her son Casper; daughter Helena Steele and her sons Rowan and Griffin; and his faithful dog and walking partner, Wednesday.

Tom worked for Schneider Electric for 34 years in various roles. He had many interests and hobbies and enjoyed sharing the things he loved with the people he loved. He was tender hearted, full of humor, a little bit nonsense intolerant, and full of a deep appreciation for the little things. He was the family chef and famous for what he could whip up on the grill, deeply loved music from almost all genres (but especially John Prine), and was almost always reading something. He was also a longtime fan of the Baltimore Orioles, MU Tigers, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

He made our hearts soar like an eagle.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society https://www.lls.org/ or to the American Heart Association https://www.heart.org/