Thomas Joseph Paunovich, 75, entered into his heavenly rest on November 9, 2022. He is survived by his devoted soul mate of 36 years, Irene (Anderson) Paunovich. Also survived by his children Kristi (Ray) Arnett and Ryan (Andi) Paunovich. His adored granddaughters, Savana Arnett and Davi Paunovich will cherish their times and memories with their Pap. He is also survived by his brothers, Matthew and Norbert. He was an intelligent, kind, gentle, good, deeply religious man who will be sorely missed.

Tom was born on March 8, 1947 in McKeesport, PA to Anthony and Annamarie (Salopek) Paunovich. He graduated from Penn State University in 1968 with a degree in forestry. He later obtained a Master's Degree in Personnel Management from St. Vincent College.

He was a proud Veteran, having enlisted in the US Army during the Vietnam War era, specializing in image interpretation. He entered Officer Candidate School and completed his military career as a 2nd Lieutenant. He received Good Conduct, National Defense Service, and Army Commendation Medals.

He pursued a career in Personnel Management in the Department of Veteran Affairs Hospitals, serving Veterans in Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, and Michigan. He retired from the DVA after 30 plus years of service as Chief of Resources.

He was a member of St. Matthew's Church since 2004. He also held various positions within the HOA to serve his neighbors and community.

Tom will be remembered by family and friends as a kind, generous, good man. He loved all things cars and attended York, PA car meets with Ryan, Matt, Norb and his dearest friend Dennis (Scotty) Dooen. He was an avid train collector, collecting not just cars and engines, but also all manner of railroad memorabilia. Pap was a long time Steelers and PSU fan. He particularly loved watching the NFL draft with Savana, and discussing the pros and cons of each pick.

Pap and Gam loved to cook and bake together. Macaroni and cheese, nut rolls with Kristi, traditional Croatian cookies with our granddaughters, and Croatian Sarma (he mixed, I rolled) were tweaked until he got them just right. And no one will forget Pappy's buns.

Tom was the "go to" person if you were looking for an obscure or hard to find item. He would scour eBay and websites until he found the exact item, usually for his wife, daughter, or granddaughters. He also could not resist a good BOGO, which he would then share with family.

Visitation will be held at the Palm Beach National Chapel on Tuesday, November 15, from 3-5.
Interment in the National Cemetery will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Felician Sisters of Haiti.