Thomas Joseph Barkei

Thomas Joseph Barkei (Tom) joined his beloved wife, Cindy, in heaven on July 14, 2024.

Tom was born in Aurora, IL on March 14th, 1937 to Joseph and Barbara (Dieter) Barkei. He was the second of eight children. Growing up on the farm, he learned how to work hard, fix everything, and never waste anything. He also found time to excel at school and get up to plenty of hijinks. He graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Burlington, WI.

When Tom’s sister, Kat, introduced him to a friend from nursing school, he knew instantly that Cindy was the one and his devotion to her never wavered. They were engaged when Tom was drafted into the US Army, but no ocean or army could keep them apart. They married on June 24,1961 in Burlington, WI and began their life journey and family in Munich, Germany.

When he’d finished serving his country, Tom began his career in logistics and transport at Universal Carloading. His work took the family to Chicago, Boston, and Columbus, OH. In the ‘70s, he was transferred to Milwaukee and he and Cindy followed a dream to set up house on 40 acres in East Troy, WI. He later worked with Middlewest Freight in Milwaukee.

As well as serving in the Knights of Columbus, Tom and Cindy opened their hearts and home to American Foreign Exchange students and teachers from around the world. They took them on trips and sleigh rides, and welcomed them to the family.

Tom was never idle. He got up early, and before going to work you could find him bailing hay, plowing the garden, tending to the horses, or tinkering with an engine. In winter, he was plowing snow from the neighbors’ driveways, and pulling cars out of ditches with his tractor.

In the ‘90s, Tom and Cindy moved to Miami where Tom converted the Lucerne Hotel into a retirement home. He did everything from renovating to running the business, and looked out for his employees and residents alike, including evacuating everyone when Hurricane Andrew hit. Tom didn’t complain or quit in the face of adversity. He simply did whatever needed doing and didn’t stop until it was done.

In the 2000s, Tom and Cindy visited Asheville and loved it. They moved there and Tom opened his dream business, CinToms, in Arden, bringing joy to frozen custard lovers far and wide. He was active in Arden Rotary Club, raising money for everything from well-building in developing countries to Alzheimer’s Walkathons, to running the Rotary Kiva team. In 2022, he received the Rotary Lifetime Achievement Award. He served the
St. Barnabas community by chopping wood to donate, delivering thousands of loaves of bread to the church pantry, and distributing toys to kids in need. In his spare time, he harvested thousands of pounds of vegetables and fruits from local farms to feed the hungry, and regularly cooked for the homeless. He also enjoyed feeding the birds and designing bird feeders that could outsmart a hungry bear.

Tom was proud of, and devoted to, his wife and family. He will be deeply missed by his children, John, Terri (David) Guerini, and Trish, his grandchildren Katie, Hans, Jennifer, Emily, and Alison, and his surviving siblings Katherine (John) Mitchell, Margaret, David, Mary Krakofsky, and Rita Robers. He will be fondly remembered by his many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and cousins. He served his country honorably
and his community generously. His many friends in Asheville and across the country will remember his kindness and humor; and his legacy will live on through all who knew and loved him.

We invite you to celebrate a life so well-lived with services on Thursday, July 25th, 2024. Mass at 1:30 at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, 109 Crescent Hill Dr., Arden, NC. https://saintbarnabasarden.org/directions. The Mass will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@st.barnabascatholicchurch-2319/streams. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, Tom would have preferred a donation be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, 109 Crescent Hill Dr., Arden, NC 28704 or the Rotary Club of Arden Foundation, P.O. Box 268, Arden, NC 28704. You can learn more about the Arden Rotary at https://www.facebook.com/ardenrotary.