Thomas Edward Rochat

Thomas E Rochat, 59, of 610 Virgil Creek Road died as the result of a car accident on Monday, November 14, 2016 Born August 4, 1957, in Cortland, he was a son of Charles and Lois Rochat. Thomas attended Virgil Elementary School and graduated from Cortland Sr High in 1975. He briefly attended SUNY Morrisville for Agricultural Engineering. He worked various jobs until moving to Norton, Massachusetts in 1978. He then worked at Draper Brothers in Canton, Massachusetts. He moved to Ocala, Florida and worked for the PALL Corporation where he became a certified welder. After moving back to New York, he worked as a millwright for 20+ years, traveling extensively the Northeast. During his travels he loved to take photographs of scenery, landscapes, and especially sunsets. He was highly skilled and often requested. He was proud of his welding skills and was the number one welder on all jobs he worked on.
In his free time, Tommy enjoyed the outdoors - fishing and hunting. He especially loved extermingating vermin. He was always willing to lend anyone a helping hand - if it was broke... he could fix it. Always a child at heart, he enjoyed watching classic cartoons and Dinsey animated films with his beloved cat, Silky. He also enjoyed playing pool and led an active social life. He was well liked by nearly everyone who met him. He was always the life of the party with a joke, song, or comment. His favorite saying was, "You'll have that!"
He is survived by his mother, Lois (Rochat) Stafford of Dryden; his brother Charles Rochat III of Oklahma City; his sister Jeannine (Jeff) Sprague of Virgil. Nieces and nephews: Lois (Louis) Loiselle of Cortland, David Rochat of Oklahoma City, Kevin (Heather) Rochat of Oklahoma City, Devon Perry of Norton, MA, Robert Rochat of Oklahoma City, Elisabeth (Joel) Fluger of Virgil, and Olivia Sprague of Virgil. In addition to several grandnieces/ nephews.
He is predeceased by his father, Charles A Rochat Jr and his brother, Robert R Rochat.
Services will be held at Perkins Funeral Home (55 West Mail Street, Dryden) on Saturday, November 19, 2016. The funeral will be at 2pm and family will receive friends and family from 12:00 to 2pm. Burial will follow at Virgil Rural Cemetary. A celebration of life and dish to pass will be held at the Virgil Methodist Church following the burial. Special thanks to Virgil Fire and Rescue, Dryden Ambulance, and TLC EMS. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Virgil Fire and Rescue or Dryden Ambulance.