Edward G. Tommola

A service with military honors will be held at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery 200 Duell Road Schuylerville, NY 12871 on April 5th, 2024 at 1:30pm. Attendees are asked to wear formal attire and arrive at 1:15pm

Edward G. Tommola, of Overbaugh Street died peacefully in his home in the care of Hospice and with his family at his side. Born in Catskill, New York on August 13, 1946, son of the late Charles and Phyllis (Fisher) Tommola, he was 77 years old.

Directly after high school, Edward attended Bryant College and earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management. Edward then served in the United States Air Force from July 1968 to July 1972, where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Following his honorable discharge from the United States Air Force, he was employed by IBM in both Poughkeepsie and Kingston, New York as a Cost Accountant, Systems Analyst, and Applications Programmer until his retirement in 1994. He was later employed as an over the road truck driver for several companies. He was also a Driver Training Instructor through a private company, worked in the food service industry, and delighted in his last position working at Field Goods in Athens, NY.

Ed was passionate about showing up as a contributing member to his community and participating in his civic duties. He took great pride in serving as a poll worker on election days and worked as an Elections Inspector for Ulster County from 2015-2020. He was a volunteer Emergency Medical Services Driver for Diaz Memorial Ambulance Service and a volunteer firefighter for the Glasco Fire Department.

Ed had many talents and enjoyed many hobbies during his lifetime. He enjoyed camping, hunting, fishing, skiing, leatherworking and woodworking. Ed was a boy scout and took pride in volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America organization over the years. He also loved to meet new people anywhere he went and trade stories over a coffee. He was passionate about photography and found joy in photographing landscapes, nature, and portraits of folks he met. He had a knack for capturing beauty in struggle and joy in the mundane.

He is survived by his wife, Diane (Schaffer) Tommola; sons, Scott Tommola, Craig Tommola, and Thomas Tommola; daughters, Chandel Tommola, Nichole (Tommola) Jeffreys, and Brooke Tommola; sister, Barbara Stein; and his grandchildren Angelina and Sophia Tommola; Marley and Iris Tommola; Russell, Reagan, and Charlotte Jeffreys; And dear friends who became family, Christina Sweeney and Madison Peñate.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Phyllis (Fisher) Tommola; uncle, John Tommola; grandparents Theron and Elizabeth (Thorington) Fisher, and Wäinö and Hilda (Komppa) Tommola.