Thomas "Tommy' S. Fil

Thomas “Tommy” S. Fil was born into a circle of love on October 10, 1971 to Barbara (Rytuba) and Donald Fil and he died surrounded with the same overflowing love as he passed away on May 26, age 51, at Baystate Medical Center after suffering injuries sustained from a tractor accident. He was raised in Hadley and dedicated his entire life to his farming community, a place he truly called home. He spent numerous hours with his Dzadzi picking strawberries, cabbage, and growing Indian corn. The love of the land never faded, as he remained determined to grow asparagus, tobacco, gourds, and Indian corn. His two sons inherited his love for farming and were free farm help for years. In his youth, he played little league baseball and took pride in hitting home runs. He coached his sons in Cal Ripken baseball by sharing his knowledge with them and other local Hadley children. He helped his daughter throughout her Girl Scout Gold Award project by cooking new dishes for her bingo nights and taking the lead as head chef as she hosted a prom for local senior citizens. His love of cooking sparked inside of him at an early age and was made apparent in future years as his pierogies, golumpkis, borsh, chrusciki, and kapusta were the best in the family. You could tell his dishes were made with love because his heart and soul were poured into it. He learned from his Babcie and great aunt’s proper tactics of cooking and was critical with his work, stressing how there was always room for improvement. Tommy never showed up empty handed and always had to have abundant portions to feed an entire Army. He was going to guarantee people had to unbutton their pants after eating and that no one would be shorted food. He had to make sure everyone else ate first and he would only take the leftovers. A traditional man, he prided himself in his home-cooked meals on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter as well as weekly Sunday dinners with our grandparents. He listened, learned from his elders, and then passed that knowledge on to those around him, so traditions could continue to the next generation. Tommy had a brain full of knowledge and those who knew him well can attest to his talent at trivia. He could tell anyone what the number one song was in a particular year. He knew the singers of songs, who starred in the movies, and what your pitch hand was before you did. He was a mastermind of cards at local venues such as Mikes Westview, the Amherst VFW and the American Legion. He dominated the tournaments for years. He would bet you on anything. He would bet friends on how quickly he could do something and was right nine times out of ten. His smile was the biggest when his old country music would come on, his feet would start tapping and his head would sway to the beat. Tommy attended Hadley schools graduating from Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in 1989. He played soccer and baseball. He took up carpentry as his trade and spent most of his life as a self-employed carpenter and farmer. He married his loving wife, Ginny (Boisvert) on March 30, 1996. They spent years traveling far and wide to places including Las Vegas, Foxwoods, Florida, Rhode Island, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba. The family created and cherished many more memories in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and many more. Tommy was remembered in Rhode Island for his clam digging, grocery shopping every day because what we were eating was always important, and daily trips to the dock for fresh lobsters. He found beauty in life’s ordinary, simple moments like enjoying a beer with his feet in the sand, eating twizzlers on road trips, gatherings at the river, fishing, doing sudoku puzzles, playing in golf tournaments, and watching sports. His topic of conversation always reverted back to farming or family, as those two things were at the center of his existence and flowed through his veins. He was a longtime member of the Most Holy Redeemer church and has a family of strong faith that will serve them throughout the duration of their lives. Tommy leaves his caring wife of 27 years, Ginny, and their three beautiful children Trevor, Felicia, and Dylan. His parents Barbara and Donald Fil, two sisters Deb (John) Baronas, and Dee Dee (Bob) Tobin. He leaves several nieces and nephews, many lifelong friends, the entire Hadley community, and those who benefited from his vegetable deliveries and spiked cherries will miss him dearly. He instilled in his children the importance of hospitality, keeping your door open for anyone and everyone, having the utmost respect for your elders, and told us to take the shirt off your back for your people. He emphasized never turning your back on your own and if you fail to love your family, you fail at everything. Tommy’s life ended too soon, but those who knew him can agree his life was full and he did it his way. Calling hours will be Thursday, June 1st, from 4-7 PM at the DROZDAL FUNERAL HOME, 120 Damon Rd., Northampton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley on Friday, June 2, at 10 AM. Please meet directly at church. Burial will immediately follow at Holy Rosary Cemetery, Hadley. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Easthampton Savings Bank, PO Box 81, Hadley, MA 01035, checks made in memory of Thomas Fil for contributions to be donated to local organizations at a later date. For more information, or to leave the family a personal condolence, please visit Drozdalfuneralhome.com

Thomas "Tommy' S. Fil

October 10, 1971 - May 26, 2023