Thomas Chester Rackowski

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Thomas Chester Rackowski on September 20, 2024, at the age of 73. Thomas (Tom) was born on February 17, 1951, in Washington, D.C., to Henry and Helen (Nee Filipcyzk) Rackowski. He was the second of seven children. He was raised most of his childhood in Falls Church, Virginia. After graduating from George Marshall High School, he attended Northern Virginia Community College, and then went on to Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia, where he earned a degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting. It was at Old Dominion that he met the love of his life, Lesley Asher Rackowski, whom he married on September 20, 1975. They had two sons -- Andrew Rackowski (Candice Kacy) and Brandon Rackowski (Brandy Martinez) -- whom he was always very proud of and loved very much. His career in corporate accounting included 32 years with the IDI Group of companies, in the Washington, D.C., area, where he served as vice president and controller. But Tom’s job did not define his life. Even though he loved his job, he was very involved in volunteering in activities in which his children participated. His hobbies included golf, fishing, hunting, traveling, watching and discussing movies, cooking, and decoy duck carving. In 2005, he moved his family to Westfield, New York, where they owned a 32-acre farm/vineyard. When he retired in 2011, he would spend many enjoyable hours outside, working around the farm and woods on the property. Then in 2022, after his son Andrew moved to Washington State, he and Lesley moved to Everett, Washington, to be close to their grandchildren, Eden Rackowski and Ezra Kacy-Cummins. Unfortunately, he became ill once moving to Washington, and was not able to enjoy the outdoors as much as he would have loved to, but did enjoy very much seeing the surrounding mountains in the area.

Once Tom became ill, he held a very positive attitude, and would tell people not to be sad, because he had had a very good life. He left a positive impact on every person he met with his good attitude and great sense of humor. He always had a unique point of view to share with others. He passed away on his and Lesley’s 49th wedding anniversary, right down to the hour of their ceremony, so they did make it to 49 years exactly.

Tom did nearly every single thing in life he wanted to. He wouldn’t have minded more time to do a few last things, but he had no regrets. These last few months have been far from the first health scare in his life. With each brush with death he always wanted to leave his sons with the same wisdom: be a good person, treat others with kindness, only do things that let you sleep at night, and you can be whatever you want to be.

People have asked where they can donate to in Tom’s name. One of his favorite charities was the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and he supported them for many years. You can donate at www.pva.org.