Thomas Frederic Zainea, an accomplished actor/singer who performed on professional stages around the country, took a final bow following his toughest role of all on September 6, 2026. He lost a relatively short battle to pancreatic cancer at age 67.Tom is survived by Zainea siblings Joe (Judy), George (Gail), Leo (Theresa), Mary and Ray Taylor and several nephews, a niece, cousins and countless theater friends. He was preceded in death by parents George and Adele Zainea Wise, stepfather Frank Wise, niece Angela Zainea Salinas and nephew Matt MacLachlan. Growing up shy and often to himself, Tom got hooked on play-acting at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School and appeared in local community theater productions. He later attended Western Michigan University, but eventually left for New York City and—he hoped and dreamed — the bright lights of Broadway. First he had to pay his acting dues, performing in regional theatre and off-off Broadway before finding his niche with character roles in musical theater. After sharpening his acting and singing skills in smaller regional theaters, Tom started to win gruff and comic parts in musical plays. In the late 1990s, he earned supporting roles in non-equity national tours of ZORBA, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, DAMN YANKEES, 1776 and TITANIC. As a union (AEA) member, he also performed in acclaimed regional productions of THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES, FIDDLER on the ROOF, SUNSET BOULEVARD and most recently THE PRODUCERS at the Grand Rapids Civic. As he grew older, “cattle calls” in NYC became harder to tolerate and worthwhile opportunities dried up. So Tom applied his rich baritone to narrating audio books and doing voiceovers for radio and TV commercials to pay the rent. Resigned to a stalled theatrical career, he returned to his hometown Grand Rapids to test his communicating skills with podcasting. Visitation will be 10 a.m.on Monday, Sept. 14, at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 1253 52nd Street in Kentwood, followed at 11 a.m. by The Mass of Christian Burial. The Reverend Peter Vu will be the celebrant. In lieu of flowers, the Zainea family asks that donations be made to Trillium Woods Faith Hospice or St. Mary Magdalen.