George "Tom" Thomas Tosto, Jr

Tom was born December 29, 1924, the sixth child of ten born to George Thomas Tosto, Sr. and Mary Day Tosto. He was born and raised at South River, NC. George and Mary had six boys- Ernest, Tom, Virgil, Cecil, Max, and Elzie and four girls- Etta Mae, Effie, Lucille, and Nora.

Tom attended elementary school at South River and graduated from Beaufort High School in 1942. He commercial fished and trapped furs until he joined the US Army in 1944. He attended basic training and was shipped to France during the invasion in World War II. On December 23, 1944 he was shot in the left arm. His group took shelter in a wine cellar and on December 25, two days later, when they were trying to return to their base, he was shot again in the same arm. Tom was hospitalized for more than a year both overseas and stateside, trying to repair his arm. He never recovered full use. He was awarded many medals including two purple hearts.

Tom married Bertha Mae Pittman on August 16, 1947. They had three daughters- Wilma, Neat, and Genny. Wilma married Weston Earl Taylor and they had one son, Gregory and one grandson, Michael, Neat married Johnny Gaskill, Genny married Gaston Neil Hill and they have one son, Jason. Bert passed away in 1997 from cancer, one month shy of their 50th wedding anniversary. Weston Earl died from a heart attack in 1997 ten days prior to Bert's passing and Wilma died in 2010 from a stroke.

Tom worked at Cherry Point as an Estimator/Planner having gone through the apprentice program and getting his junior college degree. He retired from Cherry Point in 1980. He operated a fish house at South River for Monroe Taylor and he operated a trawler, shrimping locally.

Tom loved to fish, hunt, garden, read, and story telling. Many people have profited from his fishing and gardening. Tom loved to serve his community. He was a founding member of the South River-Merrimon Fire and EMS and one of the first groups to receive EMT certification. He was instrumental in getting the deed to Lukens Cemetery and in getting the County to take ownership of that property. He was instrumental in the placement of the children's park at the intersection of the Sportman's Village Road. He was a champion to commercial fishermen, attending hundreds of meetings, serving on advisory committees and writing scores of letters to the editor of the Carteret County News Times. He also campaigned for and against hunting regulations.

Above all, Tom enjoyed serving his God. He was  Sunday School superintendent ( 40 years plus), Sunday School teacher for the adult class (40 years plus) and deacon (50 years plus, and chairman of the Deacon Board) for the Edwards Chapel Free Will Baptist Church. He was awarded a pin in November of 2011 for attending 53 years of Sunday School without missing a Sunday, a standing record for which no one is even a close second. Tom was always careful to give God the glory for this longstanding accomplishment saying that being blessed with good health made him able to do this.

Tom is survived by two daughters-Neat ( and husband, Johnny), Genny (and husband Smoke), two grandsons- Greg (and wife Melodie) and Jason (and wife Dawnie), one great grandson- Michael, two brothers-Max (and wife, Mary) and Elzie (and wife, Marsha), two sisters in-law Doris and Jan, many nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

We rest in the blessed assurance that Tom has gone to a far better place and the sweet potatoes will soon be ready for setting out in the New City. If this day should be your last, would you join Tom in Heaven? That would be his desire.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home and Crematory Inc. of Morehead City