Thomas Nowak Obituary

Thomas Andrew Nowak, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother, and friend, passed on March 3, 2024 at 4:00 am, surrounded by his loving family at Mass General Hospital, and at peace.
Tom Nowak was the youngest of 5, with three older brothers and a sister. He soon learned he would need to compete to survive. As a boy, he ran a door-to-door business selling plastic mistletoe balls and elves, samples from his father. For Little League baseball fundraisers, he would solicit commitments from donors in advance of the campaign start date to secure his quota. In his early teens, he launched "Tom's Lawn Service" with a neighborhood friend. His startup grew into a successful business in Needham, MA. While attending UMass Amherst, he'd hitchhike home to mow lawns and pay for college, eventually selling the operation to his oldest brother.
When he wasn't sharpening his sales and interpersonal skills, he swam. His mother thought swimming would give him a sense of focus and purpose-and help him burn off some of his unfathomable energy. She was right. After innumerable 5:00 am practices and grueling laps, he went on to swim on the UMass varsity team. He studied business and political science but wasn't exactly what you would call an academic. It was competitive swimming that served as the foundation for his self-discipline, resilience, and drive. He was a record holder in the pool, and his pursuit of excellence did not stop there.
His first professional job was selling Scott Paper in Maine, and he would eventually find his way to Edwards Life Sciences, where he served with distinction and good humor for 35 years. Edwards was like family to him, and Tom-loved-his family. He began a new chapter in 1986 when he married Margaret. They had two boys, Thomas and Nicholas, who shaped the next two decades. Tom attended every athletic event from preschool through college. Home games, away games, rain, snow. Tom was there, and probably yelling at the officials. Family and home were always his center. It's what he worked for.
Along with family, Tom has a wonderful circle of friends from "the Churchill Lane" neighborhood, Needham High School, O'Hara boys, the Mass swimmers groups, and countless other friends and colleagues. People came first for Tom. He was fiercely loyal and went out of his way to help and assist others with decisions and challenges. If you knew Tom, you knew that he loved a good joke. You knew that he was a generous heart and passionate beliefs. And you knew that he would stop whatever he was doing and drive at least 300 miles in the wrong direction if he could add value.
Tom spent his final years enjoying time with the people he loved on the Cape. Tom and Margaret moved from their long-time home in Medfield, MA to New Seabury in Mashpee in 2015. There were so many good memories, so many family trips, so many outrageous stories, so many quiet moments, so many laughs and tears. It's impossible to do it all justice, to articulate the ripples in his sincere effort to connect and be connected. All that need be said is Tom lived the dream. He was a force, and lived for others. He will be missed by so many.
Tom was a fighter. A maverick with an engine that would make your jaw drop. He persevered and did not balk at obstacles. He approached his health challenges with courage, that Nowak laser focus to do whatever it took to keep living and loving, to keep supporting his friends and family whatever the personal cost. Beneath the surface was a deep appreciation and understanding of life, as well as faith in God and his country. He played hard and worked harder, and we celebrate a man who did not work for praise. He worked simply because he had the opportunity to do so. He held nothing back, and the rest of us received the gift of knowing Tom Nowak.
There will be a memorial Mass at 11:00 am on Friday, March 8th at the Parish of Christ the King in Mashpee, MA followed by a celebration of life at the New Seabury Country Club from 12:30-3:30 pm. For those wanting to give in memory of Tom, please consider donating to EGFR Lung Cancer Research (https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate/cancer-center).