Curtis Kenneth Tomlins

He is predeceased by his mother, Dora Baisley Tomlins and father, Winthrop Tomlins, his brothers Kenneth Tomlins, Hanford Tomlins, and Winthrop Tomlins Junior, his sisters Reba White Clark, Ida Decker, Dorothy Casscles, and Lavenia Tomlins, and some of their children. He is also predeceased by his beloved daughter Gail Renee Tomlins.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 69 years, Gwendolyn May Tomlins, his daughter Melissa Louise Lamar (Ryan) and grandchildren Brian Tyler Henneberry(Kristina), Amanda Taylor Henneberry, and Julian Michael Lamar, his daughter Dorrie Daniela Tomlins (Daniel) and grandchildren Daniela Renee Rich (Anthony), great-grandchild Brayden Patrikeyev, and grandson Luke Harrison Rosenthal, his son Kertis Kenneth Tomlins and grandsons Jacob Kenneth Tomlins and Colby Harlor Tomlins, and cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was born on June 27, 1931 in Stony Point where he was raised. He remained a lifelong resident of Rockland County, NY. He spent some years living on a family farm in Dormansville. Ken graduated from Haverstraw High School in 1949. His fond reminiscence of childhood includes winters spent trapping muskrat and mink, summers riding horseback, picnics at Bay Acres Beach, riding his Harley and his horses all over Stony Point and Haverstraw, and hunting, fishing and swimming around the Hudson River. He enjoyed all of these with his sisters and brothers. He had such a short time with most of them and his dear father (who passed in youth), but learned a profound appreciation for the gift of life, which resonated through his many remaining years.

Ken worked at Lederle Laboratories as a Chemical Operator where he made medication for more than four decades. He was a very active union member of the International Chemical Workers Union, A.F.L. and had a vital role in the strike of 1952 which earned worker’s rights and benefits for so many in Rockland County and beyond. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He cared for his mother until her death at 95, and went on to run her business in Stony Point, which he continued to do until his death.

Ken was an avid reader, storyteller and writer. He spent many years contemplating themes of life and death due to the loss of the majority of his family in his youth. The combat deaths of his cousins in WWII stirred a lifelong study of that conflict and a lament for the victims of the evils of that war. His heroism saved the lives of a drowning woman, a neighbor who had caught fire, and an elderly blind man. He believed in honoring the dead and could be found cleaning and tending to abandoned graves.

He appreciated poetry and spent a great deal of time expressing his thoughts and memories through his writing. A consummate jack-of-all trades, Ken was skilled in working with his hands. Whether he was building, tending to his garden, fixing lawn mowers, or creating wood carvings, he liked to keep busy. He was a believer in hard work and worked several jobs at a time to support his family. All of his free time was spent with his children - taking them bike riding, hiking, treating them to vacations at the New Jersey shore and other locations, weekly trips to the library, and teaching them the value of hard work by having them work beside him as he fulfilled family responsibilities.

A lover of nature, Ken respected all of God’s creatures. He had a strong sense of value and responsibility for the lives and well-being of others, man and animal alike. In his later years, he took great pleasure in feeding birds, chipmunks and other small creatures in his yard while enjoying long talks with his kids and grandkids.

He strongly believed in loving and protecting family, and honoring his word and his vows. He was the sole caretaker of his wife Gwendolyn, who he personally cared for through illness until his last days. He had a strong conviction for justice and fairness and fought bullies whether they be individuals or institutions for decades. He loved democracy, and his country, the United States of America.

Ken also had a beautiful singing voice and was once approached by a radio show to sing when someone heard his crooning. His children and grandchildren have his lullabies and special songs to carry forward in their hearts. His humor, wit, affection, courage, and unflinching strength will always be remembered.

Ken wrote much of his own obituary in his poignant contemplations, so we will let some of his own words complete the story of this honorable, noble, humble, and well-loved man.

“The word ‘Love’ is one of the most powerful words a person can use… reserved for only the most poignant circumstances… If you ever find someone that you really love, it will never leave you. It will be by your side for eternity.”

- Ken Tomlins, The Tarnishment of Love, 2014

“Did you ever know an old man who could just pick up any of his children, grandchildren, and one great grandchild - sit in his backyard feeding birds, and that thought of love for that person bolsters this foolish man.”

- The Writings of Curtis Kenneth Tomlins, 2015-2016

“Today, at my advanced age, I know some things:

1. I hated bullies or picking on the weak

2. It is hard for me to kill any of God’s creatures, even a spider.

3. I have done the best I could for my family, and I know it was not always enough.

4. There is certainly a loving power we call ‘God’

5. I love God, who has granted me time to appreciate the goodness of life

6. Someone or something has protected me (God).”

- The Writings of Curtis Kenneth Tomlins, 2015-2016

“I love you.” The Last Words of Curtis Kenneth Tomlins (Daddy), November 19, 2023.

Visitation Saturday 11/25/23 9:00 -11:00 AM, Service 11:00-11:30 AM. Michael J. Higgins Funeral Parlor, Stony Point, NY.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MJHigginsStonyPoint.com for the Tomlins family.