Thomas J. Zucchet was born to Roger and Eleanor Zucchet on New Year’s Eve in 1939. One of seven children, he is survived by sisters Elaine High (Rick), Anita Wolski (George), and Margi Vanderbent (Kenny). He was predeceased by siblings Roger Zucchet, Barbara Dudley (Jack) and Greg Zucchet.
The love of his life was Annabelle (Grieve), and they were married for over 50 years, before her death in 2016. Their three children, Andrea Wilkins, Kristin Byrne (John) and Thomas Zucchet (Kim), five grandchildren, Sarah, Justin, Drew, Kyra, and Jossi, and one great grandson, Grayson, will share memories of a good man.
Tom was proud of his service to the United States Navy, and his training at the Naval Air Station on Grosse Ile sparked a lifelong love of the island, his home for nearly 48 years. He put his fine arts degree and industrial engineering skills to good use at Ford Motor Company as an engineer and was a stickler for a car with good ingress/egress, and always a Ford.
His love for the game of hockey was legendary Downriver, and he laced up his skates until June of this year at the age of 84. Teammates should know that he delighted in every moment on and off the ice, and got the biggest kick out of the banter, nicknames, and the shock value his birth year held for most everyone. And yes, his kids offered him a gear bag with wheels, which he flatly refused.
Tom loved to linger over a good meal, and a good phone call, savoring the small moments with family, friends, and neighbors alike. He drove the shoreline every day he could and listened to jazz every night. Dave Brubeck’s "Take Five" was his favorite tune.
The family is honoring his wishes for no funeral service. Anyone wishing to make a donation in his name is encouraged to consider the National Kidney Foundation https://kidney.org/, the American Red Cross (he gave gallons and gallons) https://www.redcrossblood.org/, or the Grosse Ile Historical Society (P.O. Box 131, Grosse Ile, Michigan 48138), https://www.gihistsoc.org of which he was a proud, lifetime member.