Thomas Mitchell

Obituary

Thomas was loved by all for his gregarious personality, physical strength, handsome smile, creative vision, impeccable aesthetic, adept execution & problem solving skills, and his caring, accepting heart—a heart that ultimately gave out and took him from us far too soon, on April 22, 2026 in Breckenridge, CO. Thomas was born in Albuquerque on November 14, 1969 and moved to Belen, NM, when he was seven years old. He graduated from Belen High School in 1987 and moved back to Albuquerque to attend UNM. It was in Albuquerque that he found his life's passion for visual design working at Off Broadway Vintage under the expert guidance of Susan Ricker. Wanting to follow his lifelong dream, he moved to New York City (via D.C) in 1995 where he became a visual merchandising director, dressing mannequins, designing windows, brand collaborations, and store displays for famous companies such as Brooks Brothers and the late Saks Fifth Avenue. Through his last employer, CX-Story, he had the privilege of supporting The North Face with store set, redesign, sales optimization, and seasonal merchandising in major ski resorts across the country. Thomas loved being in the mountains (looking fly in his North Face gear). When he was not in NYC or traveling for work, he spent joyous summers with Tadd at their cabin at Lake Hayward, CT., with a parade of friends and family coming for a swim and/or his delicious BBQ chicken. He never tired of designing beautiful bouquets of their home grown flowers in vintage and antique vases. Although he was born in the desert, he became quite the swimmer later in life, and had recently returned from another fabulous vacation in St. Croix, USVI. If you can't find Thomas, please check the cupcake table, the bar, the barbecue, the seafood tower, the park, the lot, the lake, the deck, the preserve, Jack A., the dance floor, the beach, the bed (napping), the bird feeder, a tag sale, the lobster pot, Riis beach, Instagram (official_thomas_mitchell), the Whitney, the High Line, the hot tub, Delta, and "here kitty, kitty, kitty" before contacting the authorities,

Thomas is survived by his beloved and eternal husband Tadd Wamester, parents Stephanie and Matthew Mitchell, Nick (brother) and Laura Mitchell, Avery and Sawyer Mitchell (nephews), Sarah Wamester Bares (sis-in-law) and William Bares, Henry and Minna Bares (nephew and niece), Uncles Mark and David Mitchell, John and Melissa Schilke, and last, but not least, his beloved kitties (Queen) Dolly Dynamite and Mr. Oliver Pickles (the Joker). He was preceded in death by his longtime and dear friend Dion Wade (who recruited him to come up to NYC) and his second set of parents, Norma and Bill Wamester, along with Rocky, Zero, and Junior. He was loved by so many friends and family in New York, New Mexico, Connecticut, and across the country, who have been so kind with their love and support. I wish I could name and thank them all, but you know who you are, and he cherished YOU! LISA GRANT, Ira, KellyAnne, Aaron, Taylor, Jennifer, Jeffrey, Carol, Caitlin, Aine, Turbo, Lucia, Shawn, Glenn, Lucia, Angela, Urs, Logan, Ilka, Johnny, Dee, Ben, Grace, Lisa L., Laura, Erin, Ryan, Sophia, Tomasita, Olivia, Toral, Andrew, Raven, Corina, Kate, Becherer, Mammone, Elbra, Julie D., Jen, Thom, La, Matt/Michael, Colson, Ella, Julie, Kirsten, Marie, Lillian, Jessi, Denise, April, Nicholas, Ritchie, Dawn, Kelli, Russell, Squid & Ronny, Beth Fed, Matthew, Danielle, Susan, Randy, Sara, Toni, Tim, Braly, Barbara, Sandy, Vicki, Tania, Leslie, Henrietta, Emily, Dana, Nicole, Steph, Damona, Jamie, Malcolm, Miss Ellie, Deke, Liz, Megan, Jefferson, Dan, Ron, Jay, Marie, Elizabeth, Matthew, Grace, Katie, Jim, Denice, Brad, Elliot, Roger, Eric, Annika, Erik, Darna, Nadine, Sandra, Mario, Jess, Ariel, Saskia, AMBER, Steph, Woltering(s), Anne, Matt, Julie, Nicki, Rob, Wendy, Grinnell, Michelle, Nancy, Juan, Mike, Ryan, Saasha, Kate/Harvey, Dennis, Andrea, Lucille-Grace, Sally, Jim, Steve, Eva, Amanda, Sarah, Katherine, Lety, Caroline, Jills, Jen, Robert, Leo, Adriana, Jessi, Jess, Dan, Jason, Kerri, Julia, Cassi, Joel, Susan, Phil, Karen, Kristin, Patrick, Anthony, Jackie, Sheila, Doug, Karen, Peggy, John, Kimberly, Belina/Ilya, Norma, Sandra, Joan, Theresa, and the entire EnGen team...(if they charged by the word/name I would be BROKE). If I missed your name, it was not intentional, I may be delirious! Thank you to Katie, Deb, Britt, Amber, Anne, Fred, and so many other angels for your kindness and support during this difficult time.

Thank you, Thomas, for being the husband that I always wanted. Thanks for that stunning Missoni sweater as well. Even though you never got to see me wear it out; I WILL! It is absolutely gorgeous. Meeting you for Manhattans at Enid's was the best decision I have ever made, even if I had to teach the bartender how to make said Manhattan(s). Granted we were in Greenpoint, so I should have kept my expectations at a minimum. What I wouldn't give for just one more brunch together at Maggie Brown's!!! Bunny loves Muffin forever. 5/3/13

A celebration of Thomas' life will be held in Albuquerque this summer and at various times/locations throughout the year, including at the holiday party. And yes, Thomas is having a birthday party and he is accepting gifts! Because Thomas was such a great animal lover, especially cats, you can honor his memory by donating to Animal Protective Association of Socorro, PO Box 451, Socorro, NM 87801 or to www.foranimalsinc.com from which he and Tadd adopted Rocky, Dolly, and Pickles. Also, Thomas would like to ask each of you, what have you done today that is anti-racist? We can all grow and build our own understanding of important and difficult topics. https://mhl.org/learn/resource-guides/resources-on-implicit-bias-ableism-and-disability

Advice from T&T: Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. If it won't matter in 5 years, don't let it control today.

Consummation by Nina Simone ‧ 1967

And now we are one

Let my soul rest in peace

At last it is done

My soul has been released

For thousands of years

My soul has roamed the earth

In search of you

So that someday I could give birth

To know joy, joy, joy, joy

Joy and peace is mine

Peace divine

And now we give thanks

Give thanks for each other

At peace forever

For it is done

At peace forever

For we are one.

Gallery

Videos

Memory wall

May 5, 2026

One of my favorite memories, not just of Tadd and Thomas shenanigans but in life: the Central Park Rain Picnic of '08, Thomas, to know you is to adore you, and to love Tadd is to love you.

Megan Healy

May 5, 2026

One of my favorite summertime games, * guess the corn * after a run to Maegog Farm.
Which do you think it is, Silver Queen or Candy Corn?
Truly a game where everyone wins in the end!

Thomas Mitchell

May 5, 2026

Thomas' senior prom; my junior prom. Before our evening began, we stopped at the hospital to present ourselves to Grandpax, who was unfortunately incapacitated at the moment. Grandpax approved of our 'looks,' as well as our plans for the evening. We had tickets to the Wool Warehouse's dinner theater production of Little Shop of Horrors. After the show, we drove back down to Belen and danced our legs down to the knees at the cafeteria prom.
My mom snapped a few shots with her Minolta in our dining room, et voila. Innocence and mayhem at once.

Carol "Que Si" Castillo

May 5, 2026

Circa 1990. Thomas in his kitchen in the 500 building in downtown Albuquerque. I gasped when I noticed, after 35 years, he had the faucet running as he posed. No self-respecting child of the 70's lets a faucet run. Then I realized he was probably filling the ice tray. Mystery solved. Love you, Thomas, and I love this evening we spent giggling. And I remember it well.

Carol "Que Si" Castillo

May 5, 2026

Thomas, loved dearly and missed tremendously. Laughter and love are the memories I will keep close.

Lisa Lawrence

May 5, 2026

I will always remember being at Lillie's Bar in Red Hook, (IYKYN) very early on in our relationship, one night in particular. It was probably the winter of 2005, as I think there was a fire pit ablaze in the backyard. I had probably sung backup for Saasha Foo that night, and the power may or may not have been working with or without the help of a generator. (Forgive me if I combine a few nights into one.) Lillie's was something unimaginable, a portal to another dimension, and it's best to stay inside dancing until the sun came up. If you needed a pack of smokes, there wasn't a bodega nearby, but someone did sell cigarettes out of the trunk of their car out front. (oh Lillie's) I had likely had a Wild Turkey or two, was talking to someone (maybe Laura, maybe Russell, maybe Lucia, maybe Sarah Dawes IDK. If anyone remembers the memory of being on the other side of this conversation, pls remind me).

I was sharing how much I loved and "admired" Thomas; I think I also used the word "respected". I was gushing with young love and desire. Then I noticed the face of the person I was talking to change, not in a bad way, but something happened. I asked, "is Thomas behind me?" (listening). They nodded, and I turned around and gave him a big sloppy kiss. I hope Thomas remembered this memory as clearly (or more) than I do. XO, B
T&T est. October 2004, Married May 2013, Reception at LH Sept. 2013

Tadd Wamester

April 29, 2026

I don't have words for the way I feel about Thomas not being here anymore. I am lost without him, but also grateful that I was lucky enough to have him for so long. I loved that guy with my whole soul.

KellyAnne Hanrahan