CHESTER, Vt. – Thomas John Bystrek Sr., 75, of Chester, Vt., passed away on March 31, 2023 at Middlesex Hospital. Born in Middletown, he was the son of the late John and Katherine (DeGraff) Bystrek.
Thomas had lived in East Berlin, Berlin, and Chester. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and was a member of the American Legion Post #67 in Chester. Thomas worked for Mobil Corp for ten years and Balf Savin Company as an operating engineer for many years until he retired. He enjoyed big game hunting, trapping, fishing, and bird watching in his later years.
Thomas is survived by his son, Thomas J. Bystrek, Jr. and his wife Denise of Cromwell, Conn; his daughter Cheryl L. Bystrek of St. Cloud, Fla.; two brothers Joseph Bystrek of Hillsborough, N.H. and Richard Bystrek of Brooksville, Fla.; two sisters Katherine Sleming of Brodnax, Va. and Pauline Phillips of Brooksville, Fla.; three grandchildren Christian Bystrek, Ryan Ogden and Nicholas Matias; two step grandchildren Stephen Hennessey Jr. and Kaitlyn Tobias; ten great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
The family would like to say a special thank you to Middlesex Comfort Care Unit and Foxtrot Unit at Sgt. John L. Levitow Veterans Health Center for their comforting and compassionate care.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 6 at 10 a.m. at the Cromwell Funeral Home, located at 506 Main Street in Cromwell, Conn. Burial will follow at Saint Mary Cemetery in Portland, where full military honors will be accorded. Family and friends may call on Wednesday evening from 5-7 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations in Thomas’s memory may be made to Middlesex Comfort Care Unit, 28 Crescent Street, Middletown, CT 06457 or Sgt. John L. Levitow Veterans Health Center, 287 West Street, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.