Thomas G. DiLorenzo

May 4, 1926 - October 22, 2020

On May 4, 1926; Thomas Gaetano DiLorenzo was born in Bristol, PA as the seventh child to Gaetano DiLorenzo and Maria Giuseppina (nee Ferrelli) DiLorenzo, both were immigrants from Capracotta, Abruzzo, Italy. On October 22, 2020, Tom passed on at age 94 to meet his loving wife Ellen (nee Patterson) DiLorenzo, who predeceased Tom on September 24, 2001. Those of us who knew and loved Tom believed he wanted to be with Ellen on her birthday of October 23rd. Thomas DiLorenzo was the last of his generation and he will be sorely missed by those he leaves behind. His 6 siblings, Carmella Esposito, Pasquale DiLorenzo, Edith LaCava, Daniel DiLorenzo, Julia Bergfield and Yolanda Conti, all predeceased him. At age 18 in 1944, Tom joined the Army Air Corps, served for 6 years and earned the WWII Victory Medal and Good Conduct Medal. Upon completion of his initial service, he re-enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and served another 3 years and 4 months, being honorably discharged at age 27 in May of 1953 as a staff sergeant. His military service included over two years serving abroad, as well as service in Louisiana, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. After his military service, Tom went to work for General Electric and while with GE, he met the love of his life, Ellen Patterson. Tom and Ellen were married at St Mark's Church in Bristol on May 17, 1958. His nephew Dr. Pasquale DiLorenzo served as his best man, and over 350 of his large family joined Tom and Ellen for a traditional raucous "Italian Wedding" at the American Legion Hall on Pond Street in Bristol. Tom and Ellen settled into a home at 310 Jefferson Ave. where they lived happily while Tom started his new business, Thomas DiLorenzo's Refrigeration Company, after "retiring" from GE. Tom could never sit still. He was one of those neighbors everyone wanted nearby because he was always eager to help. His garage was converted into a tool shed where Tom had every tool imaginable. He worked constantly on his inventions, and although his family didn't realize it at the time, and thought he was just "tinkering", he truly was an impressive inventor. Tom holds two issued U. S. Patents which he invented while servicing ice machines and refrigeration equipment in restaurants through his Refrigeration Company. Tom noticed that most restaurants had mold and mildew growing in their ice machines, and beverage dispensers, and consequently, loads of bacteria. He came up with methods of introducing ozone into the water supply and air supply of the ice and beverage machines, and held U.S. Patent Nos. 2007016, and 2007021 "Ice Making and Dispensing Method And Apparatus with Increased Sanitation". Tom is also listed as a co-inventor on U.S. Patent Application No. 2011015 "Air Removal Chamber For a Cell Expansion System And Method of Use Associated Therewith", Co-Inventor of U.S. Patent Application No. 2012008 "Methods And Systems of Growing and Harvesting Cells In A Hollow Fiber Bioreactor System with Control Conditions", Co-Inventor of U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2011015 "Air Removal Chamber For a Cell Expansion System And Method of Use Associated Therewith", and Co-Inventor of U.S. Patent Application Nos. 8399245 and 2013015 "Rotation System For Cell Growth Chamber". Tom and Ellen did not have children, but they were aunt and uncle to nieces and nephews, all of whom became their "children", including Carmen Esposito, Pasquale DiLorenzo, Rosemarie DiLorenzo Puchino, Louis Thomas Conti, Dr. Thomas G. Bergfield, Dan DiLorenzo, Karen DiLorenzo-Thames, Maria Conti Tuohy, Robert Esposito and Richard Esposito from Tom's side of the family; Pauline Sohenick, Eileen Miller, Robert Ridge, Marty Ridge, Pat Ridge, Marlene Ridge, James Sohenick and Jennifer Sohenick from Ellen's side of the family. Tom was very close to the aunts, uncles, and cousins in the Deon and Ferrelli families spread throughout Bucks County PA and Burlington County NJ, including his first cousins from those families, Charles Deon, Pat Deon, Anna Deon Bakelar, Carrie Deon, Lillian Deon Cocci, Frank Deon, Pat Ferrelli, Dominick Ferrelli, Tony Ferrelli, Joe Ferrelli, Daniel Ferrelli, Edith Ferrelli Sodano, and Maggie Ferrelli Marter. Through the years, the DiLorenzo, Deon, and Ferrelli families would celebrate most family gatherings at the home of Edith, Hank, Frank and Fran Sodano in Penndel, with its mature fruit trees, large in ground swimming pool and wide open field for horseshoe tossing, bocce ball, softball, football, or soccer games. Tom would be the "never stop" worker at these gatherings, always doing everything he could to help other members of the family, no matter how busy he was at home or in his refrigeration business. Later in life, Tom made plans to move to Denver, CO to be with the huge families which had grown from his nephew and niece, transplanted Bristolians, Dr. Pasquale "Pat" DiLorenzo and his sister Rosemarie DiLorenzo Puchino. Pat and his lovely wife Janet "Jan" settled in Denver after Creighton University medical school and residency in Hawaii, they had five children (Pasquale Jr., Gregory, Thomas, David, and Francis "Fran"), and coincidentally Rosemarie and Michael Puchino followed Pat and Jan to Denver, and also had five children (Maryjo Puchino Conkey, Michael, Pasquale, Victor, and Thomas). As of today there are over 50 family descendants as part of the "Colorado clan". Regretfully, Tom never made it to live with Rosemarie and Michael Puchino in Denver to be part of the Colorado clan. It isn't easy to summarize Thomas DiLorenzo, but he was one of those few who gave, and gave more, and never asked for anything in return. He was scrupulously honest, caring, moral, and always available for anyone who needed help. He loved and respected everyone, and all who came to know Tom felt the same about him. Tom was a man who, as President Abraham Lincoln said so eloquently, "listened to the better angels of our nature", every day of his life. He will be missed terribly by all of us. One of our Uncle's lifelong missions was to honor his fellow military members by donating to various organizations that assisted the military men and women that needed assistance entering back into civilian life. In lieu of flowers, mass cards and the like, please consider honoring Uncle Tom's last wishes by contribution to Fisher House, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 410 Rockville MD 20852 - Fisherhouse.org or Fidelco Guide Dogs Foundation, Inc., 103 Vision Way, Bloomfield, CT 06002 - Fidelco.org/Donate. A burial will be conducted by Molden Funeral Chapel, on November 11, 2020 at 12:00 PM, and a celebration of his life with family and friends will be held in the Spring.