Thomas E. Burdick

Thomas Edison Burdick, known affectionately as Tom to his family and friends, passed away peacefully on February 23, 2025, at the age of 78, surrounded by his family. Tom's life was characterized by his absolute love of music, his passion for travel, gardening, bird watching, fishing, and cooking. Tom graduated from Manchester High School in 1965. Following his graduation, he started his career in a papermill and worked his way into the electrical field to become a highly respected contractor. Tom was the guy you could rely on to immediately come to your aid to fix a light switch, install a fan, or wire a finished basement.
People knew that Tom would always provide high-quality work and had a work ethic second to none. For fun, he loved to take road trips, fish, watch birds and garden. He loved to cook and was famous for his ribs! He and his wife Linda traveled to the White Mountains in NH, went shopping in Newport, RI, visited family in Galveston, TX and played the slots at the casino! He was the ultimate music enthusiast and knew bands, titles, lyrics, and beats for almost every song spanning generations of music. He shared this passion with others by quoting lyrics, playing music at high volumes and gifting homemade CD's to family and friends. Some of his favorites include Rolling Stones, "Paint it Black", Belinda Carlisle; "Heaven is a Place on Earth"; Billy Vera And The Beaters, "At This Moment", Aztec Two Step, "Cockroach Cacophony"; Tears for Fears, "Shout" and The Trashmen's, "Surfin Bird -Bird is the Word". And this is very a short list!
Tom was predeceased by his mother Teresa, father Robert, brothers Bobby and Johnny and sister Mary. He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Linda Burdick; daughter Carrie Bowles and her husband, Jeff Bowles and grandchildren Owen and Ian. He leaves a best friend and confidant of nearly 50 years, Rosemary Pennington and her husband, Gary and their two children Katie and Jackie. Their friendship and loyalty to each other spanned a lifetime. Rosemary's parents, Alma and Michael Silano of Harwinton, CT predeceased Tom and were incredibly fond of him and treated him as if he was their own son. As we bid farewell to Tom, we feel grateful and blessed by his life filled with hard work, integrity, and music. He will be deeply missed.
In the words of Eric Clapton, "Tears In Heaven", "beyond the door there's peace I'm sure and I know there will be no more tears in heaven".
Tom's family will receive relatives and close friends on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 11:30 am at the East Cemetery located at 220 East Center Street, Manchester, CT. Holmes Watkins Funeral Home has been entrusted with handling the arrangements. Flowers will be accepted, or memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society.