Software engineer, enjoyed boating, fishing, cooking, and problem solving of all kinds
Thomas Paul Bazarnick, age 79, died in his home in the company and care of his loving family on Aug. 27, 2026, nearly a year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Tom was raised in the bucolic farmlands of Amsterdam, New York, as a child of Ukrainian and Polish immigrants. Gifted with insatiable curiosity and an encyclopedic mind, young Tom loved science fiction, nature, and the small adventures of daily life. He earned scholarships to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and then Johns Hopkins University, where he studied theoretical chemistry. In 1969, his Summer of Love highlights were falling in love with Holly, attending Woodstock, and traveling across this beautiful country in a VW Beetle. Once back in Baltimore, he and Holly married, and his passions turned to raising a family, gardening, sailing, fishing, and food and wine.
Tom initially taught chemistry at a community college to help pay down school loans, then pivoted into a job at Catalyst Research, an innovative battery company. As a passion project at work in the late 70s, he built a computer-controlled battery monitoring system, which raised some eyebrows and led him to Digital Equipment Corporation, where he worked at the Maynard Mill in 1980.
The family moved to Sudbury, and then ultimately to their “dream home” in Harvard in 1992, where they refilled their empty nest with generations of mastiffs. Though he’d likely challenge this oversimplification of his career, he was a software engineer “fixer” at DEC, Compaq, HP, and Western Digital. He understood the basic intent and architecture of things first, then built on layers of complexity with uncompromising attention to detail and quality.
His greatest pleasure was gathering, synthesizing, and sharing information, solving problems, and pursuing an impressive stream of loves and interests. He fully embraced his hobbies with joy and a desire for inspiration and self-improvement. The interests mounted over time, including French and Italian cooking, boating, fly fishing and saltwater fishing in Martha’s Vineyard, cycling, collecting wine, photography, skiing, golf. Tom valued every minute of his life, every second of his existence. His presence and authenticity were a challenge to some, and an invitation to those who loved him. His last hobbies were dinner dates at his local, favorite restaurants, and playing the bass, which he began learning at age 72. He was self-taught and he got pretty good. He played along with his favorite songs, mostly in private concerts for his “eternal love” Holly.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Holly Bazarnick; his brother, Bob; sister, Elizabeth; his sons Keith and Toby; his eight grandchildren; and his sister-in-law Peg Brier and her sons Jake and Jonas. He was predeceased by his son, Jesse.
His memorial will be held at Badger Funeral Home at 347 King Street in Littleton on Sept.12 from 12 to 3 p.m. In lieu of gifts or flowers, please consider deleting social media and spending an hour sharing a passion project or hobby with someone you love. If not, consider donating money to your favorite nonprofit organization that builds and sustains your best version of the world.
