Obituary of Frank Thomas Rizzo

Frank Thomas Rizzo of Howell, NJ passed away peacefully in his home on March 13, 2025. Tom is survived by his loving wife, Kimberly. They would have celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in June. He also leaves behind his two beloved dogs, Breezy and Coco.

Tom was born January 27, 1956, to Frank J. Rizzo and Margaret Stanek Rizzo. He was raised in Chatham, NJ with his sisters, Christine Rizzo and Patricia Pavlosky.

Growing up in Chatham Tom (also known as Riz) was a car enthusiast and he and his buddies spent much of their free time working on their cars together. His love of cars continued throughout his life and in the 80’s Tom worked as a crew member on Dennis Bedrosian’s “Scarlet Fever” that raced on drag strips throughout the northeast. His love of cars led to his enjoyment of NASCAR and watching his favorite driver Martin Truex, Jr. A running bet with Gabe kept race day interesting for many years with Tom winning more often than not. A long-suffering Raiders fan Tom never gave up on his team.

Tom was an excellent carpenter and ran his own home improvement company, KTR Home Improvements, for many years. He was also an avid hunter throughout his life. After he retired, one of his favorite activities was to go pheasant hunting in Colliers Mills with his golden retrievers Lily, Lacey and Breezy – the girls were his pride and joy.

He also discovered his passion for cooking during his retirement years. He loved researching recipes and trying out new techniques. Some of his favorite dishes to cook were pizza, shrimp scampi, and chicken piccata. He was also proud of his ability to replicate old family recipes like his beloved grandmother’s meatballs.

The family has requested no flowers. To best honor Tom’s memory, the family would appreciate memorial contributions to be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation, (garysinisefoundation.org).

Whenever you hear the song “I’m Going Home” by Ten Years After please think of Tom and smile.

A gathering of friends will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Saturday, April 5^th, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM with his funeral service to follow. Interment will be private. For information, directions, or to leave condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.