Thomas S. Corcoran, Jr.

Thomas S. Corcoran, Jr. of Grafton, MA died on Saturday, May 28 at St. Vincent Medical Center surrounded by family. He was 86.  He leaves his adored wife and the love of his life for almost 60 years, Nancy L. (Carney) Corcoran and two daughters of whom he was immensely proud, Tara S. Corcoran and her husband Philip Goyette of Uxbridge and Amy T. Catalogna and her husband Philip of Framingham.  He also leaves 5 grandchildren who brought him so much joy and for whom he would do anything – Casey, Riley, and Rory Goyette and Ben and Sam Catalogna. Tom was born on October 26, 1929 in New York City to Thomas, Sr. and Anne (Skerkis) Corcoran. He attended primary schools in Texas, and graduated from North Side High School in Fort Worth, TX.  He attended Clark University and graduated from Scranton University (Class of 1951), where he was manager of the basketball team. Tom served with the US Army Security Agency 1st Division in the Korean War from 1951 to 1953, stationed outside of Seoul while his late brother Charles was also in Korea.  He was honorably discharged and was awarded the United Nations Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal with 3 bronze service stars, a Good Conduct Medal and other awards. After returning from the war, he worked as an accountant first at Melville Shoe in Worcester (where he met Nancy) and then at General Motors in Framingham for 32 years in several divisions and retired in 1989. Tom was a lifetime member of the Westboro Knights of Columbus. He was a member of the Korean War Veterans’ Association.  He served as a trustee for the South Grafton Community House for many years.  He volunteered doing tax returns for the Grafton, Westboro, and Southboro Senior Centers after his retirement. Tom was a classic gentleman with a dry sense of humor, a deep sense of family, and a love of history and the Boston Sports Teams.  He will be deeply missed by all who loved him. In addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren, he is survived by one sister, Mary Ann Licciardone of Clearwater, FL, his sister-in-law Maureen Dryden and her husband Bill of Shrewsbury, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his brother, Charles and his niece and goddaughter, Cindy Licciardone DeFazio. The family would like to thank the staff at Christopher House for their compassion in caring for our husband and dad for the last 2 years. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., on Thursday, June 2, in Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation Street, Worcester.  His Funeral will be held on Friday, June 3, from the funeral home, departing at 9:40 a.m., in procession, for a 10 a.m. Mass at Immaculate Conception Church, 353 Grove Street, Worcester.  Tom will be laid to rest at St. John’s Cemetery in Worcester.   Flowers are welcome but memorial donations in Tom’s name may be made to the class of 1961 Endowed Scholarship Fund at the Office of Institutional Advancement Worcester State University, 486 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA 01602-2597.