BRIGHTON, N.Y. — The Friendly Home in Brighton is planning to honor Thomas Chase, the 92-year-old man killed in a stolen car crash last Thursday.

Chase volunteered at the nursing home for 30 years and had just left from the home the day he died.

“A lot of the residents are sad and as in the staff who’ve worked with him for so long. We are trying to come up with ways to honor him in a special way,” said Brandon Buonomo, Life Enrichment Coordinator at the Friendly Home.

Chase had a special bond with residents at the Friendly Home by sharing his love of music with them. Buonomo, who has been the Life Enrichment Coordinator for 14 years, says it’s something that brought Chase joy and he took pride in.

“And every week the week ended with him performing at cocktail hour — where residents get to socialize and have a drink and he would play the piano right here,” Buonomo said. “He was just a dedicated human being and he just wanted to give it back to the community and to the people at the Friendly Home.”

Everyone enjoyed watching him play those sweet melodies. “It’s hard and it’s still hard because people are grieving,” Buonomo said.

It was business as usual last Thursday. Every day, Chase would come in and say hi to everyone as he passed through the lobby, go into the auditorium, and as staff was setting up for cocktail hour, he would get the piano ready. But when he left the Friendly Home that afternoon, he never came back.

Rochester Police say he was driving down East Avenue near Linden Avenue in Brighton when he was hit by three teenagers in a stolen car who officers were chasing. He died at the scene.

“The Friendly Home has been here for 175 years and Tom Chase has been part of it for 30 of those years. And it’s hard for us to image the Friendly Home without,” Buonomo said.

Buonomo says things will no longer be quite the same. This Thursday will be the first time in decades Chase will not be there for cocktail hour. Staff have plans in the works to honor and remember him.

“Have a memorial service here so that residents can attend. We don’t really know but we are going to find something to do because he was very special to us,” Buonomo said.

Staff at the Friendly Home say that although Chase is no longer here, his legacy and his gift of music will live on forever.

RELATED:

• ‘Saddened and upset’: Friend mourns loss of 92-year-old friend killed when hit by stolen car (Aug. 24)
• Teen driver in deadly stolen car crash was arrested 12 times last year for smash-and-grabs (Aug. 23)
• Eastman grad, avid community volunteer killed in stolen car crash Wednesday (Aug. 23)
• RPD: Parolee driving stolen car hits and kills 92-year-old Eastman grad during chase (Aug. 23)

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