1944-2026
Thomas Edward Fidago, 82, of Bellefontaine, passed away Wednesday morning, September 23, 2026, at Mary Rutan Hospital.
Tom was born in Cannonsburg, PA, on July 22, 1944, to the late Rudy J. and Leona D. (Lastauckas) Fidago. Tom graduated from Snowden High School in South Park, PA, in 1962, and from Ohio Northern University in Ada, OH, in 1967 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He later became a Registered Professional Civil Engineer. During his time at ONU, Tom met his future wife, Noma Kennedy. They were married at Nativity Church in Cannonsburg, PA, in 1968. After graduating from ONU, Tom was awarded a position at American Bridge, a division of US Steel, and began putting his mark on the world one steel structure at a time. During his tenure at American Bridge, Tom was relocated to Jacksonville, FL, then Little Rock, AR, and his projects included Busch Gardens, the Sunshine Skyway, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
In 1971, Tom was recruited by one of his American Bridge co-workers, a native of Bellefontaine, to come to Ohio to work for Carter Steel. His time at Carter Steel spanned 2 decades. He served as Project Manager on numerous projects including the Marysville Honda plant, Columbus Convention Center, and the New Orleans Superdome. His time at Carter Steel also resulted in the formation of several long-lasting friendships with his buddies Brent Guiles, Tom Daley, and Tom Wood.
After departing Carter Steel, Tom went to work for Marysville Steel as a Project Manager and retired in 2012 as the President of the company. Tom’s projects with Marysville Steel included the Longaberger Basket building and Nationwide Arena.
In 1983, the Fidago’s ventured into the Reining horse business. They bred, showed, and sold their horses for many years. Several of their horses went on to have national acclaim in the National Reining Horse Association.
Tom was an avid outdoorsman from childhood, first learning to hunt with his father at their camp in Tidioute, PA, which also became his favorite place to be. Deer hunting was his first passion. Tom’s love of the outdoors led him the entire country and Canada big game hunting. He particularly enjoyed planning and sharing hunting adventure stories with his longtime friend Roger Leasure.
Later in his life, he found his second outdoor obsession, fly-fishing. He started locally in the Mad River and traveled to Pennsylvania, Montana, and New Mexico. One of his greatest experiences was getting to fish with legendary fly-fisherman Joe Humphries on the Spruce Creek in PA.
During the winter months, Tom could be found in his basement woodworking shop. Over the years, he crafted numerous pieces of personal furniture for his family and close friends.
Tom’s greatest joy in his later years was spending time with his grandchildren and enjoying time with his family and lifelong friends, George, Peg, and Rob Barati, in Tidioute.
Tom is survived by his wife of 58 years Noma and their children Carmen (Scott) LeVan of Bellefontaine and the favorite son Daniel (Christa) Fidago of Lafayette, IN; grandchildren: Isabelle Fidago, Xavier Fidago, Emily LeVan, and Jackson Fidago; sister Sandra (Roger) Meilton of Mechanicsburg, PA, brothers-in-law: Reagan (Julie) Kennedy of Bellefontaine, Truman (Betty) Kennedy of Reedley, CA, and Raymond Kennedy of Omaha, NE; sister-in-law Ruth Kennedy of Omaha, NE; and nieces and nephews Todd (Becky) Kennedy, Will (Jenny) Kennedy, Megan (Bart) Zimmerman, and Lindsay (Pat) Meilton.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 2- 4 p.m. at Eichholtz & Daring Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Bellefontaine, where Pastor Kevin Smith will officiate Tom’s funeral service on Monday, September 28, at 12 noon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Mary Rutan Foundation – Dr. Evan Dixon Scholarship, 205 E. Palmer Rd, Bellefontaine, OH 43311.
The Fidago family would like to express their appreciation to all of the staff at Mary Rutan Health who have taken such good care of Tom over the years and enjoyed all of this orneriness and fantastic stories.
EICHHOLTZ & DARING FUNERAL HOME & Cremation Center, Bellefontaine, is honored to serve the Fidago family and encourages anyone to share a fond memory or message of condolence at www.eichholtzdaring.com.
