Thomas John Kronenberger, Sr., 89, passed peacefully from this earth on April 6, 2016, with his family by his side.  His devotion to his family and his firm belief in his Catholic faith supported him and ultimately gave him peace.

Thomas was the first born son of four brothers and five sisters of Polish immigrants.  He was born to Thomas John and Agnes (Sondaj) Kronenberger on September 21, 1926.  He was married for 68 years to the love of his life, Rita (Phelan.)Together they raised three children, Thomas Kronenberger, Jr. (Maureen) of Bremen, Maine, Karen Lewis (Jeff) of Shaker Hts., Ohio and Brian Kronenberger (Lina) of Middletown, Connecticut.  Thomas had great pride in his grandchildren Rebecca, Jennifer and Thomas Kronenberger (Emmie,) Michael (Courtney) and Patrick Lewis and Brian Jr., Jason and Frank Kronenberger.  On Palm Sunday he had the great joy of meeting his first great grandson, Graham Lewis.  He is also survived by three sisters, Adelaide Agard, Dorothy Eremith (Michael) and Barbara Vosgien, sisters-in-law Marion Phelan, Eula Koval, Gail Slattery and Joanne Mercier and many nieces, nephews, cousins and devoted friends. Along with his parents he is predeceased by sisters Florence Saviteer, Rosalie Heck and brothers Ted, Walter and John Kronenberger.

Thomas was a lifelong active member of St. Stanislaus church and graduated from the school in 1941.  He attended Wilcox Technical School and at the age of 17 he joined the U.S. Navy during World War II.  He held the rank of Boatswin Mate 2nd class and served in the amphibious force on the LST 914 until his discharge. He served throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa and Southern France, Italy and the Pacific Theatre.  Thomas' personal diary from his military experiences recounts seeing Winston Churchill pass by his ship giving the V for victory sign at the end of the war. While home for a liberty pass prior to discharge, he went to a friend's house and "spied a pretty young lady wheeling a carriage," a baby sitting job for his friend.  This was Rita, the young woman whom he married in 1948.

Thomas was a general contractor who built homes in the Meriden area.  At one juncture, he owned and operated a gravel pit.  Eventually that land was sold to the city for open green space, under the leadership of Mayor Grossman, and it was named Kronenberger Park.  Toward the middle of his career he was hired to oversee the building and restoration of Johnsonville Village in Moodus, CT where he worked for 23 years.  Upon his retirement, he joined his sons as a consultant for Kronenberger & Sons Restoration.  He was instrumental in the restoration of Harkness Mansion, the Mark Twain House, Gillette Castle, the Coastguard Chapel, Wadsworth Estate and his parish, St. Stanislaus Church, to name a few.  At the age of 80, Thomas' final project was to design and construct a cupola for the Kronenberger business working with then apprentice Tiffany Taylor.

Thomas owned a hunting camp in Waite, Maine which he bought during its last year of operation as a one-room school house.  He was an avid deer and moose hunter in Maine and Canada and enjoyed using his camp in the fall for hunting and in the summer to vacation with his family.  As an avid outdoorsman, he participated in the 1976 Bicentennial and drove a team of horses in an antique mountain wagon to Valley Forge, PA for the culminating celebration.

Thomas was a master gardener, producing a bountiful harvest which he shared with everyone.  At times he raised pigs (whom he named for family members,) and other livestock and poultry.  His pride and joy was the Kronenberger Christmas tree farm that he operated for over forty years.

Despite his limited formal education, he was an avid reader and writer in both English and Polish.  He wrote a daily journal entry up until the day he entered the hospital.

His love for God, family and his Polish heritage were his guiding life force.  He will be greatly missed.  The family would like to thank the staff at the Middlesex Hospital North Observation unit and the Hospice doctors, nurses and volunteers for their care and compassion.

His funeral will be held on Monday April 11, 2016 at 9:15 a.m. from the Stempien Funeral Home, 450 Broad St., Meriden when the funeral cortege will proceed to St. Stanislaus Church for a Mass of Christian burial at 10:00 a.m. Burial with military honors will follow in St. Stanislaus Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to pay their respects on Sunday evening April 10th from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Stempien Funeral Home. To send an online expression of sympathy please visit www.stempienfuneralhome.com .

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Thomas Kronenberger, Sr. may be made to St. Stanislaus Church, 82 Akron St., Meriden, CT 06450, The Salvation Army or to a charity of the donor's choice. If you are ever in the Middletown area and would like to honor Thomas please visit O'Rourke's Diner and treat yourself to a Kronenberger Steamer, inspired by Tom Sr. Patriarch of Kronenberger & Sons Restoration.