Joseph Christopher Tomei

On Saturday January 23, 2021 Joseph (Joe) Christopher Tomei of Taylor, Texas, beloved husband, son, brother, father, and grandfather, passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 57.

Joe was born on October 3, 1963 to Lester and Elizabeth (Hankerd) Tomei in Flint, Michigan.  He grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico and graduated from Mayfield High School in 1981.  He was an apprentice in his father’s tile business and then opened his own company – Tomei Tile.

Joe met the love of his life Cindy Kruse in Austin, Texas. They were married on September 6, 1986 and they settled in Taylor, Texas where they raised their two children Ryan Joseph Tomei and Erin Ashley Tomei.

At his core Joe was a happy, easy-going, generous, and hard-working person.  He was a man’s man who took pride in his work and who knew how to use all the tools in his impressive shop to build, fix, or fiddle with something. He eagerly volunteered to help anyone with any project. In his free time Joe enjoyed the great outdoors especially hunting, fishing, camping, grilling, and blowing stuff up.

Joe cherished the time he spent with his three granddaughters, creating long running inside jokes, and taking them exploring outside anytime they were together.  He was nurturing and deeply connected to his family that he loved so much – including his three fur babies Chloe, Copper, and Harley.  Joe will be deeply missed by family and friends.

Joe was preceded in death by paternal grandparents Edmardo and Velma Tomei, maternal grandparents Leo and Ann Hankerd, father Lester Tomei, and brother David Tomei.

Joe is survived by his wife of 34 years Cindy Tomei; son Ryan, his wife Alexandra, and granddaughters Kenna, Riley, and Grace of Colorado Springs, Colorado; daughter Erin of Taylor, Texas; mother Elizabeth Tomei of Las Cruces, New Mexico; sister Patty Wendt and her husband Rick of Temple, Texas; sister Carol Salopek and her husband James of Las Cruces, New Mexico; sister Jan Mueller and her husband John of McKinney, Texas; his extended Kruse family; His brother in law Mark Kruse and his wife Remona; sister in law Pam David and her husband Mike; and brother in law Brian Kruse and his wife Shannon; and lastly numerous uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, and cousins.

The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Franklin Chang, Dr. James Trotter, Dr. Sandy Anne, and the staff of the Baylor Scott and White hospital, and Cancer Center in Round Rock, TX.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the charity of your choice in Joe’s name.