Thomas M. Graney

RICHMOND, Va. | Thomas Michael Graney, 52, of Richmond, Va., passed away on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016.

Tom was born on May 10, 1964 in Fitchburg, Mass.  He was the fifth of six adopted children of John J. (“Jack”) Graney and Sheila S. Graney, of Auburn, N.Y.  Tom grew up in Auburn, and graduated from Auburn High School in 1982.

Tom was an artist from early childhood.  His gifts and talents were evident very early on, as he created projects not only for school, but also for his family, whether it be his amazing drawings, his detailed and inspirational replication of a doctor’s suite for his baby brother in the boy’s bedroom closet, or the Disney-like haunted mansions he created out of refrigerator boxes and spray paint in the Swift Street garage for Halloween.

Tom eventually honed his skills at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.  His talents led to a tremendous variety of applications in a career that spanned nearly all genres of art.  He was a graphic designer, who was innovative in what at the time was a new industry, spawned by expanding computer technology.  He was a carpenter.  He was an artisan of small projects to large, from paint on canvas to pool decks to elaborate Hollywood makeup.

Most notably, Tom remained at his core a fine artist, a classic artist.  His work is scattered around Auburn, and around Richmond.  His work is owned by businesses, by families, and by friends.  Tom had an amazing ability to see something in a scene or in a person or in an occasion that others perhaps did not, and he captured this through his eye, his mind, his wit, and his hand.  His subjects were simple, classic fall scenes; his subjects were people’s homes (capturing the character and the feel of what made those homes great); his subjects were individual persons: a boy joyfully holding a soccer ball, an elderly gentleman brushing off a park bench, his father, recreated with a hundred thousand dots, facial expression and essence of the man… the passion of his father, captured, with dots.

Tom saw, and then recreated the essence of life, in each and every work he produced.

And his passion for life extended well beyond his artwork.  His passion for life was evident in his love of music, his soft spot for animals, his deep loyalty to his friends, and his passion for of all things family.

Tom is survived by his parents, Sheila and Jack Graney; his siblings, Lynn (Pete) Sargent, John (Dawn) Graney, Karen (Mike) Wilson, Jim (Carrie) Graney, and Joe Graney; as well as many terrific nieces and nephews.  Tom is also survived by his former spouse, and forever best friend,
Teresa DiServio.

A private service for immediate family is planned.  

Tom was deeply grateful for the services that his dad is receiving locally, and in lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to Finger Lakes Center for the Living, 20 Park Ave., Auburn, NY 13021.