Oct. 17, 2007 — Thomas "Tommy" Collbran Winckler, 67, died after a brief illness Oct. 7 in Navarre, Fla., where he and his wife, Sylvia, moved earlier this year after spending most of their lives on St. Thomas.
Sylvia, the former Sylvia Olive, is a native of St. Thomas. Winckler, a Chicago native, moved here with his family in 1952, where he attended Sts. Peter and Paul school. In 1962, Winckler escorted Sylvia to her prom at that school and completed the courtship with a November marriage.
He had a more than 50-year career in the steel construction industry. And in a field where strong personalities prevail, Winckler stood out. He was a crane operator who marched to his own drummer, and, if you heard the tune of another drummer, well …. His family says., "Whatever he did, he did well. A job wasn't done right until it was done perfectly."
Winckler was devoted to his family and his work. On Saturdays, he, Sylvia and perhaps a few relatives or friends were a regular fixture at the Hook, Line and Sinker restaurant in Frenchtown, where his ready laugh was known to all.
A funeral Mass was held Oct. 11 at St. Sylvester Catholic Church with the Rev. Alphonso Olive officiating. Burial was in the Roselawn Cemetery in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Sylvia; son and daughter-in-law, Tommy and Sheila; daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Larry Pauly; grandchildren, Michael, Thomas III, Kimberly and Caitlin Winckler; special friend, Hugh Tatum; and many other relatives and friends.
