Thomas E. "Tommy" Suffern, 58, beloved son of the late Dorothy (Furtado) and George H. Suffern, Jr. died Thursday, July 30, 2009 at St. Luke's Hospital.
Tommy was an avid sports fan and enjoyed the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots and Bruins. A true New England fan.
Tommy battled many challenges in life for over forty years and was able to succeed in life with the help of dedicated professional people. Angie and Lonnie were his guiding light in this regard, and without them he would have not been able to live such a fulfilling life where he could live independently and make independent decisions for himself.
He was a friend to so many people in his neighborhood, from Eileen, his next door neighbor, to Frank at the local package store and his boyhood friend he could always talk with, Patrick. Tommy loved his senior neighbors and would do whatever he could to help. Although he was not a veteran, he had many friends who were and he regarded all those serving in the military past and present with the highest esteem.
Tommy is survived by his sister, Susan J. Ponte and her husband Charles of Dartmouth; his brother Michael Suffern and his wife Debra of New Bedford; two nephews, Joshua Santos and Ryan Santos and his wife Annmarie; a great-nephew, Charlie.
He was the brother of the late Catherine M. Suffern.
Funeral from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford Monday, August 3, 2009 at 8 AM. Funeral Mass at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church at 9 AM. Burial will follow in Riverside Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Sunday, August 2nd from 4-8 PM. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to the Veteran's Transition House, 20 Willis St., New Bedford, MA 02740 or to the Dartmouth Council on Aging, 628 Dartmouth St., Dartmouth, MA 02748.