Thomas "Tom" Joseph Wernoch

Thomas Joseph Wernoch (Tom), 57, passed away quietly on the morning of Friday, May 31, 2024 with family by his side. Tom was a fun-loving, caring, friendly, loyal, and empathetic husband, father, son, brother, friend and colleague. Born in Elizabeth, NJ into the loving arms of the late Henry Joseph and Grace Wernoch (nee Kelly), Tom was raised in Somerville, NJ from the age of 6. He graduated from Immaculata High School in 1985. During his time at Immaculata, Tom was a motivated, involved, and active student. He made lifelong friendships through athletics as both a leader of the 1985 County Championship basketball team and the starting shortstop on the baseball team. Tom’s friends from IHS remained his best friends who spent time together whenever possible and successfully ran a fantasy football league called “The Wyrd” for 35 years. After a successful academic career at IHS, Tom attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Policy and Management Studies & Political Science. He had an impressive four-year basketball career as a versatile forward known for his passing and jump-shooting ability. Tom continues to hold the record for most assists by a Red Devil in one game with 12, while his record for most Consecutive Free Throws Made (28) was recently broken after 27 years. When this happened, Tom personally reached out to the player who broke it and congratulated him. In addition to basketball, Tom was a brother of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and was inducted into the prestigious Raven’s Claw Society at the end of his junior year. This Society, founded in 1896, honors seven male students who have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, and service to the college and community during their first three years on the campus. Tom became very close to his “7” and they remained lifelong friends who came together, often with spouses and growing families, several times every year. After his Dickinson career, Tom started a professional sales career at Glatfelter (now Pixelle) in Spring Grove, PA. He quickly worked his way to Regional Sales Manager and by 1999 he was promoted to Director of Sales for Book Publishing. Tom’s responsibilities as Director continued to grow with the addition of carbonless and related printing papers. At every point throughout his career, Tom built a strong, successful team and earned the admiration of those he worked with as well as the customers he served. His professional life began and ended with Pixelle, where he commonly resolved conflicts and made others feel good. Tom was a dedicated and loving husband to Wendy Byers Wernoch for 24 years. Together they raised two children, Adam (23) and Lily (21). Tom loved to entertain guests and hosted many gatherings throughout the year, most notably the holiday dinners with family and friends where he insisted that everyone share one large table which stretched across two rooms. His favorite holiday was Christmas, which always included numerous laughs watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Tom was a great storyteller and knew how to make people feel special and comfortable in his home–he always remembered his guests’ favorite food or drink and made sure it was on hand when they came to dinner. Tom’s love and passion for his family were evident as he never missed Adam’s games or Lily’s performances. Tom was an energetic and animated basketball coach. He began his coaching career as a varsity-level assistant to lifelong friend Michael Frauenheim at his alma mater Immaculata in 1999. His coaching style was direct, but he never hesitated to crack a joke and lighten the mood at practice. He always believed everyone had something to contribute and was often able to get the best out of his players. He emphasized the importance of layups and free throws; a mantra taught to him by his late father Hank. When he moved to Lancaster in 2007, his coaching shifted to the youth level where he coached Adam’s basketball and baseball teams throughout his childhood. As Adam got older, Tom received the opportunity to once again coach basketball at a high level through Lancaster Cats AAU with friend and colleague Coach Doug Kraft. He coached players from many different high schools across the Lancaster-Lebanon league and loved traveling to various spring tournaments across the northeast. Tom cherished his coaching years and cared for his teams as if they were family. In his free time, Tom enjoyed golfing, cooking, playing cards, and watching his New York sports teams in the Giants, Mets, and Knicks. When there wasn’t a game on, he was often found scrolling through movies or the History Channel, and landing on one of the Jason Bourne films or a WWII documentary. On Fall Sundays, Tom would invite many neighborhood friends over to watch NFL games and partake in the friendly fantasy football banter that brought everyone great joy. He loved to travel, whether with family and friends or through work. This opened the door for many amazing opportunities including professional sporting events, concerts, and March Madness Final Fours. Whether you knew him as Tommy, Ice, “T,” Coach Wernoch, or Tom, he had a profound impact on those around him and will be forever missed. In lieu of flowers, Tom has requested that donations be made to the Christine Fox Frauenheim Foundation at https://www.christinefffoundation.com/. Christine and Michael Frauenheim are dear friends of the Wernoch family. In the last month of Christine’s life, she said to him, “Tommy, now we’re fighting together.” Tom is survived by his loving wife Wendy, children Adam and Lily, sisters Susan (Ken) Troise, Annemarie (Jim) Hauschild, and Ellen (David) Frauenheim, brother Matthew Wernoch, in-laws Charles and Jean Byers, brother and sister-in-law Brent Byers and Bonnie Welcome, as well as 10 devoted nieces and nephews. The entire Wernoch family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the UPenn Health Network, including the Ann B Barshinger Cancer Institute, and the Hospice & Community Care partners for their compassionate care for Tom during his brave and inspiring journey. We would also like to gratefully acknowledge the pastoral care provided by Father David Peck and Father Glenn Miller of Saint James. Everyone who contributed to his care will be engraved in our hearts forever. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial at Saint James Episcopal Church, 119 N. Duke Street, Lancaster on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. with Father David W. Peck officiating. A Viewing will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at The Groffs Family Funeral Home, 528 W. Orange Street, Lancaster, PA, 17603 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and again at the church on Friday June 7, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The family will hold a private interment at a later date.