Captain Thomas Carl Traina, 67, passed away unexpectedly on July 23, 2016. Born in Winthrop, Mass., to Angelo "Andy" and Mary Traina, Tom attended St. John's Preparatory School and Winchester High School before studying civil and construction engineering at North Carolina State University. An accomplished carpenter and a veteran who served in the U.S. Army in Stuttgart, Germany, Tom has lived on Cape Cod, in Chatham and Harwich, for thirty-two years. Tom's lifelong passion for fishing and boating developed over childhood summers spent with his brothers and cousins at his grandparents' cottage on Briarwood Beach in Wareham, Mass. It was also there, waterskiing on the Weweantic River, where he met his wife of 46 years, Janice (McLeod).
Tom fished commercially for forty-four years, and became a charter captain in 1998, running Sue-Z Sportfishing out of Saquatucket Harbor in Harwichport. Tom particularly enjoyed sharing his love of fishing with others, especially children, and meeting visitors from across the country and world. His many loyal customers remember him for his sharp wit as well as for its underlying warmth. A mainstay in the local fishing community, he was an outspoken advocate for habitat preservation as well as for maintaining the health of the fishing industry for generations to come.
Tom was always ready to support a friend or family member, and his loyalty and generosity were limitless. Whether cooking a big Italian meal in celebration of a birthday, driving for hours to cheer on a friend’s child in a sporting event, or opening his home to a friend needing a place to stay, Tom’s kindhearted actions spoke even louder than his often booming words. In addition to his wife, Tom is survived by his mother, Mary Slater, of Woburn, and Vero Beach, Fla.; daughter Marisa Traina Gregg and husband Carl of Hopkinton; son Mark Traina and wife Edie of Watertown, Conn. and Harwich; brothers Robert Traina of Winchester, and Mark Traina of Stoneham and their families; and a large extended family. Tom may have been happiest when referred to as "Grampy" by one of his five adoring grandchildren: Caroline, Louise, Thomas, Nathaniel and Henry.
Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, July 27 from 4-7 pm at Morris, O’Connor & Blute Funeral Home, 678 Main Street, Harwich, and on Thursday, July 28 from 10-12 noon at Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington Street, Winchester, with a brief service and private burial immediately following. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, Cape Cod Chapter, or the Massachusetts Society for the Protection of Animals on Cape Cod.