In lieu of flowers in memory of Thomas Firrincili
Donation protected
With immeasurable sadness, on Wednesday August 23rd, our small but mighty family said our final goodbye to one of the GREATEST OF ALL TIME- my father Tom Firrincili.
Last October, Dad was diagnosed with a rare high grade mixed neuroendocrine cancer. A very hard pill to swallow for someone who thought Alka Seltzer remedied all his ailments… Especially after going through similar trials and tribulations with the loss of my mother to cancer 9 years ago; this resurfaced many dark & sad memories for Dad and the family.
Dad went above and beyond his duties as a husband and caregiver for my mom in her final days. He was always present with her and fought alongside until her end. With Dad, I attempted to ensure he received the best care and treatment available to him with an unfortunate diagnosis that put us at stage 4.
After multiple specialist opinions, surgery of any kind was unfortunately not possible due to the severity and speed of how his cancer spread. Countless rounds of chemotherapy, blood transfusions and a handful of radiation treatments were endured but did not go as we had hoped and prayed for. We knew his cancer was rare, but had faith that he would defy the odds.
As positive and happy a guy as Dad was through all of this, this cancer sadly got the best of him. He fought SO hard in his final days and the biggest and brightest light that kept him going was his grandson James Thomas. James had a special and irreplaceable bond with his “Pop-pop” that we will all never forget & continue to honor.
James was born with Down Syndrome. At 4 years young, James is not independently walking on his own yet. This is in part due to the last 10 hectic months of juggling Dad’s treatment schedule (transportation, logistics, etc), not having space and time for James’ at home physical therapies.
While James may not be aware and comprehend what has happened over the last few days and even months from now, he will eventually realize his Pop-Pop is no longer physically here with us. Thankfully, we have beautiful pictures and videos to remember all of the special memories and wonderful times shared.
The reality of James’s future heavily results on being dependent with help of his family physically, mentally, emotionally & financially. James receives additional therapies such as physical, speech, occupational & even music therapy that all benefit his future growth and development.
We’ve been anticipating a family move into a new home unknowingly & ironically within the same week of Dad’s final arrangements & send off to heaven.
To fulfill Dad’s wishes, we’re looking forward to James taking his first independent steps as Dad was most excited to see it unfold in what would have been his (our) new home. As we begin this next chapter without his physical presence, Dad will see them from above on the other side as James’s protector & guardian Angel. Dad is finally at peace - together again with my mom and the many other family members we’ve lost along the way over the years.
Arrangements will be held on Tuesday August 29, 2023 4pm- 8pm at Santangelo Funeral Home in Woodland Park, NJ.
In lieu of flowers in memory of Tom Firrincili, all monetary donations will go to honor his grandson James’s current and future medical needs/expenses to ensure he continues to grow and thrive in this lifetime.
Thank you to all for the overwhelming outpour of love and support for our family during these trying times. We truly appreciate it from the bottoms of our hearts.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” - James 1:17
Last October, Dad was diagnosed with a rare high grade mixed neuroendocrine cancer. A very hard pill to swallow for someone who thought Alka Seltzer remedied all his ailments… Especially after going through similar trials and tribulations with the loss of my mother to cancer 9 years ago; this resurfaced many dark & sad memories for Dad and the family.
Dad went above and beyond his duties as a husband and caregiver for my mom in her final days. He was always present with her and fought alongside until her end. With Dad, I attempted to ensure he received the best care and treatment available to him with an unfortunate diagnosis that put us at stage 4.
After multiple specialist opinions, surgery of any kind was unfortunately not possible due to the severity and speed of how his cancer spread. Countless rounds of chemotherapy, blood transfusions and a handful of radiation treatments were endured but did not go as we had hoped and prayed for. We knew his cancer was rare, but had faith that he would defy the odds.
As positive and happy a guy as Dad was through all of this, this cancer sadly got the best of him. He fought SO hard in his final days and the biggest and brightest light that kept him going was his grandson James Thomas. James had a special and irreplaceable bond with his “Pop-pop” that we will all never forget & continue to honor.
James was born with Down Syndrome. At 4 years young, James is not independently walking on his own yet. This is in part due to the last 10 hectic months of juggling Dad’s treatment schedule (transportation, logistics, etc), not having space and time for James’ at home physical therapies.
While James may not be aware and comprehend what has happened over the last few days and even months from now, he will eventually realize his Pop-Pop is no longer physically here with us. Thankfully, we have beautiful pictures and videos to remember all of the special memories and wonderful times shared.
The reality of James’s future heavily results on being dependent with help of his family physically, mentally, emotionally & financially. James receives additional therapies such as physical, speech, occupational & even music therapy that all benefit his future growth and development.
We’ve been anticipating a family move into a new home unknowingly & ironically within the same week of Dad’s final arrangements & send off to heaven.
To fulfill Dad’s wishes, we’re looking forward to James taking his first independent steps as Dad was most excited to see it unfold in what would have been his (our) new home. As we begin this next chapter without his physical presence, Dad will see them from above on the other side as James’s protector & guardian Angel. Dad is finally at peace - together again with my mom and the many other family members we’ve lost along the way over the years.
Arrangements will be held on Tuesday August 29, 2023 4pm- 8pm at Santangelo Funeral Home in Woodland Park, NJ.
In lieu of flowers in memory of Tom Firrincili, all monetary donations will go to honor his grandson James’s current and future medical needs/expenses to ensure he continues to grow and thrive in this lifetime.
Thank you to all for the overwhelming outpour of love and support for our family during these trying times. We truly appreciate it from the bottoms of our hearts.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” - James 1:17
Organizer
Danielle Lichtenberg
Organizer
Butler, NJ