Published by Legacy Remembers on Jul. 17, 2025.
Thomas P. Fendler, of
Rye, NY, reached the end of his accomplished life peacefully and at home on May 10, 2025, just months before what would have been his 97th birthday.
Born July 13, 1928, Tom was the third of six children born to Donald C. and Ruth (Ryan) Fendler. The family lived in Rye where Tom attended Resurrection Elementary. After freshman year at Rye High School, he headed to New Hampton School and graduated as class President in 1946. A one-year PG program at Rye High was next, awaiting college acceptance in the wake of the post-WWII surge of veterans seeking higher education. Attendance at Colgate then the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY) followed.
February 1951 marked his enlistment in the Air Force, with basic training at Sampson AFB (NY), electronics school in Mississippi, Sandia AFB in Albuquerque and, finally, Nouasseur AFB in Morocco, where he served for two years. Tom was a certified atomic weapon builder/technician, responsible for assembly, component testing and delivery of atomic weapons to aircraft. He was honorably discharged from the 6th Air Force Depot Squadron in December 1954 with a rank of Staff Sergeant.
After the military, Tom joined C.M. Almy & Son, headquartered in Rye for many years with a factory in Pittsfield, ME. As the third generation in that family-owned business, Tom and his brother Ryan took the helm as co-owners and solidified the company's growth to become one of the country's leading suppliers of liturgical goods. Tom retired from Almy in 1986 and launched Tomart, specializing in distinctive recognition awards & gifts, and counting Fortune 500 firms, professional organizations, yacht & golf clubs and educational institutions among its clients. In 1999, he embraced retirement for good and segued into a volunteer position as the U.S. Championships Trophy Chair for U.S. Sailing, helping to organize the stewardship of its perpetual trophies.
Commitment to community was important to Tom. He was a member of the Rye Lions Club for years and served as a board member, then Trustee, for the Rye Y- instrumental in initiating the Rye Derby race which carries on 37 years later and spearheading one segment of a capital campaign. At Resurrection, he organized and trained the altar guild. And, as a sports enthusiast, he served on the Rye Recreation Commission. In every case, he rolled up his sleeves and worked as part of the team.
Athletics were an integral part of Tom's life. As a student, he competed in several sports, earning a trunk-load of certificates and varsity letters. While stationed in Morocco, he was appointed NCO of Sports Activities to dispel off-shift boredom and encourage camaraderie among the men, organizing a base-wide league of teams that competed in baseball, football & volleyball. He played on the 6th AFDS team, which captured several titles.
Returning to Rye after the military, Tom went on to play adult league softball, pick-up basketball at the Y well into his fifties, and sailing at Westchester Country Club, then American Yacht Club. It was one-design small-boat sailing at which he excelled. A self-taught mariner, his innate instincts and ingenuity took him far, including - as a winning team member in both the 1973 and '74 National Sunfish Team Racing Championship, top rankings in frostbiting at American, and that club's 1991 Stieglitz Award for "exemplifying the spirit of giving, both to the frostbiting program and his fellow sailors". Over the course of a 37-yr membership at AYC, he served on the Membership Committee, a term as Trustee, as volunteer instructor for beginner women's sailing, and as an advisor to its Centennial Planning Committee.
Fresh water fly fishing was another of his passions. As a boy, he enjoyed fishing in central Maine where the family summered. As an adult, he spent time along the streams in NY's upper Westchester & Putnam counties and fished Pierce Pond and Sabasticook Lake (ME) with relatives and friends. Salt water fishing on Long Island Sound came in a close second.
Tom Fendler was a man of quiet generosity to people and causes, an entrepreneur, an unassuming leader, an athlete and a loyal friend, topped with a great sense of humor.
He is survived by Linda Wells of Rye, his decades-long life partner; his children Paul Fendler (Eileen) of Hyannis, MA, Keelin Miller (Neal) of W. Barnstable, MA and Mark Fendler of Somerville, MA; his sister Kate Meyers of Tulsa, OK, and an extended family of nieces, nephews & their families.