Fern Tomaszewski

Remembering Fern Tomaszewski

Her kindness and dedication lives on.

Remembering Fern: Her legacy of kindness and dedication lives on.

On Saturday, February 24th, our staff family suffered a deep loss as our dear Fern Tomaszewski passed away at her residence following a brief illness.

For many years, Fern was the one who greeted you with a smile and handed you a memorial folder, found a place for your flower arrangement, or answered any questions or concerns you had while attending a visitation or funeral. In many ways, Fern was the face of our service in Pierce County.

Fern was more than your typical employee. She was a leader in all aspects of our services. At 94 years of age, you would expect to find someone moving slower and unable to keep up with the other staff. Fern was the exception. Fern led the charge to create a healing culture for families while respectfully keeping a keen eye on all the details. She also didn’t shy away from letting all staff know if she felt you weren’t performing to ‘The O’Connell’ standards, which was followed up with directions! In other words, she made sure you toed the line, no matter who you were! She did all of this with frankness, respect, and, most importantly, from a place of love and kindness.

This amazing woman was not afraid to jump on ladders grabbing supplies, hauling flower stands from vehicles, or being the last one to leave to make sure all was taken care of and tidied up. She used her sewing talents to create tablecloths, sew buttons on jackets, and repair rips in our suits, even if you were wearing them! She was our everything.

This spunky leader loved to hear about what was going on in our lives and our families, as well as boasting about her family as she was very proud of them. Fern simply loved being around people and took great pride in helping our community say goodbye to their loved ones.

She held all of us at O’Connell’s accountable and served as a mentor to all of us in some fashion. We will be forever grateful for the unwavering dedication and commitment she brought to our team and community.

In honor of Fern’s impact on all of us at O’Connell’s, we are dedicating our arrangement conference room in Fern’s memory. This space will serve as a testament to her never-ending contributions and leadership and inspire us to embody her spirit of kindness and service to others. We Love You Fern!

God bless the memory of Fern Tomaszewski.

Mike O’Connell