From owning Dockside Seafood & Specialties, Inc. to volunteering with the Rotary Club of Picayune, Thomas Carbone, Jr. lived a life full of joy, and his smile brought harmony to those in the community, Thomas Carbone’s wife Pat Carbone said.

Carbone passed away Friday, May 5, but his personality will live on through the lives he touched in his decades of service to the community.

The New Orleans native opened Dockside Seafood in Picayune over 30 years ago, moving to Carriere in 1993, and treated all the employees and customers as family, calling all of the staff his children, Pat Carbone said.
“The seafood business was an extension of our family,” Pat Carbone said. “Because some of our staff lived far away from their families, we would make them all a family feast on Saturdays, just like any family would do and it was just a grand time.”

She said her husband was a humble man who was always impressed with other people and never saw bad in anyone to a fault. And though sometimes he drove her crazy, his unique and strong-minded personality was something that brought many people together and kept a close bond within the family.

“His father was Scilian and his mother was German, so I used to tease him that he was a mixture of Hitler and Mousilini some times,” Pat Carbone said, laughing at the fond memories that came to mind. “I used to always tell our children that there was a right way, a wrong way and daddy’s way. And they usually knew which path to take.”

Thomas Carbone’s vocation in life was hunting and fishing, his wife said, and working was a way for him to do something he also enjoyed, while contributing to his hobbies.

The experienced huntsman was a jack of many trades; he was an avid gardener, hunter and a family man who enjoyed the simple things in life.

“He always put his family first, above anything else. He was such a kind-hearted person who never met a stranger,” Pat Carbone said.

After retiring, instead of taking it easy with a bad back and stomach problems, Thomas Carbone continued to reach out to the community, joining the Rotary Club of Picayune to volunteer for events, including his favorite, the fishing rodeo.

“We could always count on Tommy and his wife Mrs. Pat to be there for [Rotary]. He was such a kind person and always took the time to support us either with time or funds to keep us going. He will be missed by many people,” fellow Rotarian Debra Sharff said.

“He looked forward to it just as much as the students.”

Fishing and hunting truly brought his family together and in his honor, the Carbone family headed out to Natchez Tuesday where Thomas Carbone owns acres of hunting land in which he spent a lot of time, planting trees and enjoying the great outdoors in his favorite hobby. In his memory, the family will scatter his ashes around what they call “The Park” within those acres where Thomas Carbone planted numerous oak trees. Also, a concrete table and bench will be placed a the site in his honor.

“Whenever I needed anything, I went to my husband 100 percent of the time. He is an amazing person that I am so grateful to have met,” Pat Carbone said, who met her husband when she was 12-years-old, and got married just two weeks after graduating high school as a 17-year-old.

The family is also hosting a celebration of life May 21 in Slidell at the firehouse off of Carr Drive on the lakefront.