Francis John Tomaino, 92, joined his beloved Annie, on April 25, 2017, while resting at the Claremont Care Center in Point Pleasant, NJ. Born at 7:45 PM on August 10, 1924 in Point Pleasant Beach in a doctor’s house located near River Avenue, in what is now the municipal parking lot. His parents were Samuel Tomaino and the former Nicoletta Mancuso. In 1926, they would open a shoe repair and retail store known as Tomaino’s Shoe Store at 527 Bay Avenue. Fran attended the Point Pleasant Beach Public Schools where he probably set some sort of record by only being absent for sickness only one day from kindergarten until a time in junior high when he needed mastoid surgery. In high school, he played intramural basketball and served on the Student Council and the Fire Patrol. But his chief extracurricular interest was in music, playing the clarinet and saxophone in the Band, Orchestra and Swing Band. He graduated on June 7, 1942.
Later that year, he enrolled in Valley Forge Military Academy Junior College, joining the Enlisted Reserve Corp on November 1st. In 1943, he was called to active duty, reporting to Fort Meade, MD, on February 20th and was soon off to Camp Wheeler, Macon, GA for 13 weeks of basic training. He left for the European Theatre of Operations on June 18th and became part of the 179th Infantry of the 45th Division. After the end of the Sicilian Campaign, the division participated in the invasion of Salerno as a Reserve to the 36th Division, landing later that morning. He assumed the duties of a squad scout. An injury landed him in the hospital and, eventually, re-assigned to Prisoner of War Camp 136 in Oran. He would become supply officer and company clerk, earning his sergeant’s stripes. His unit went to Southern France in October 1944 where he was again company clerk and was promoted to staff sergeant. During his travels at that time, he did make a side trip to Paris! On November 13, 1945, now part of the 291st Infantry, he boarded the Liberty Ship Fayetteville for the journey home, landing in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He boarded a train north and was discharged from Fort Monmouth on November 29, 1945. His mother, having not seen him for 2 ½ years cooked a slightly late Thanksgiving Dinner on his return.
That next year, he entered Rider College, graduating on August 19, 1949 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and took over Tomaino’s Shoe Store. On January 1, 1951, he attended a New Year’s Day party at Michael’s Pleasant Inn on Route 88 in Point Pleasant and met the owner’s daughter, Ann Lucy DeSimone. After that meeting, he told his friend, “I’m going to marry that girl.” He soon won over the young lady. They announced their engagement on April 6, 1951 and were married on October 21 of the same year. They would have three children, Samuel in 1952, Michael in 1955 and Barbara in 1959. Fran would put shoes on generations of children and adults but he did much more than that. He was a member of many civic associations, including the Rotary and the Elks as well as being a Past President of the Lions Club and Past Commander of V.F.W. Post 4715. He served on the Community Adult School Board, the Municipal Safety Council and was a Past President of the Garnet Gull Booster Association. He sponsored Little League teams for many years and coached in the Ed Carlton Baseball and Jersey Shore Leagues. Most importantly, he was elected to the Point Pleasant Beach School Board where he served for 4 ½ years, including a time as Vice-President, retiring in 1972. He was a lifelong communicant of St. Peter's Parish in Point Pleasant Beach where he served as an usher for more than 50 years and had also been a trustee.
Fran retired from the shoe business in 1986, selling the building and entering a new phase of his life. A big part of that was being a grandfather and babysitter to his grandchildren, Christopher and Nicole Kaklamanis. He and Ann moved to the Princeton Commons retirement community where they made a whole new set of friends. In1994, missing the meeting of people in business, he started working at Risden’s Beach during the summers until 2008. He was inducted into the Point Pleasant Beach Hall of Fame in March of 1997. At his induction, the audience applauded by stamping their feet in tribute to the many feet that he put shoes on over the years. In August of 2001, he was presented the New Jersey Distinguished Service Award for his service during the war. Ann died in 2008 and he missed her terribly, kissing her picture every night. He continued to root for his beloved New York Yankees and also rooted for his friend from the Jersey Shore League, Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox, who called him up during his last hospital stay.
Francis Tomaino is survived by his sister: Joyce Tomaino of Brick, his sons: Samuel Tomaino of Brick and Michael Tomaino of Brick, his daughter: Barbara Kaklamanis and son-in-law: John Kaklamanis of Point Pleasant and his grandchildren: Christopher and Nicole Kaklamanis.
Visiting will be on Sunday, April 30, 2017 from 1-5pm at the O’Brien Funeral Home, 505 Burnt Tavern Road, Brick. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11am on Monday, May 1, 2017 at St. Peter’s RC Church, 406 Forman Ave, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. Burial will be at St. Catharine’s Cemetery, Wall.

Affiliations