Community Donates Funeral Services Set For Thomas Valva, 8

CENTER MORICHES, NY — Funeral arrangements have been arranged for Thomas Valva, an 8-year old boy from Center Moriches who died after authorities said he was kept in a frigid garage all night.

Services will be held at Mangano Family Funeral Homes, located at 1701 Deer Park Avenue, Deer Park, NY 11729. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Closing prayers are scheduled for the funeral home on Thursday from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. A mass of Christian burial will follow from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the St. Elizabeth of Hungary RC Church, 175 Wolf Hill Road, Melville, NY 11747. His final resting place will be at St. Charles Cemetery, 2015 Wellwood Ave., East Farmingdale, NY 11735.

Members of a heartbroken community have come forward to help Thomas' mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva. Funeral costs were paid by Mangano Family Funeral Homes, owner Sal Mangano said. "It's the least we could do for the family of this poor boy — what they’re going through, the grief, it’s unimaginable," he said.

And Mangano isn't the only one opening his heart to help.

Thomas' story prompted Jen Simmons and Sue Cortina, who work at One World Judicial Services in Deer Park, to come forward in an act of pure love, even though they'd never met Thomas or his mother before.

"We'd followed it online and heard it on the news," Simmons said. "Our hearts just broke. We felt so bad for that little boy. We felt like we had to try and do something to help, so we reached out to Sal and he offered to donate the funeral services, and we purchased the plot at the cemetery for Tommy. We also purchases suits for Tommy and his brothers Anthony and Andrew."

Also reaching out is Elle Mangano, Sal's sister, who owns Family Florist in Deer Park. Mangano is donating all flowers to the funeral, and is also arranging for donations of gift cards, clothing, food and gifts for Thomas' brothers to be collected, since they are starting over.

"I'm asking people to write a note to the mom and include it on or in their donation. I’m going to wrap up large gift baskets for mom and the boys," Mangano said. "This way, they can see how many people care about them. I'm just hoping that we are able to bring a little peace to the family — especially his mom Justyna and two brothers. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and heartbreak that they are feeling. When Sal called me to let me know that he was handling the funeral, I knew right away that I wanted to donate the flowers to the family. My only hope is that Thomas is finally at peace and his mom is comforted by the outpouring of love and support."

Simmons and Cortina are also collecting donations of gift cards, clothing and food. "We truly just want to make sure that these boys finally get to finally live the life that they deserve and wish we could have met them sooner to help Tommy," they said.

In addition, they are making blue and yellow ribbons that will be available at the wake for all to wear. "Blue for child abuse awareness and yellow because that was Tommy's favorite color," they said.

The community also turned out Sunday for a heartfelt vigil Sunday in Center Moriches.

In addition, at 5 p.m. Monday, a candlelight prayer service will be held at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church, 25 Ocean Ave., Center Moriches.

Next, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Center Moriches United Methodist Church, at 464 Main St. in Center Moriches, will host an "Evening of Prayer, Healing & Hope" for the community. "All churches, pastors and community are welcomed as we come together as one broken heart let us seek God, who is our restorer," the church said in a Facebook post.

The Center Moriches Fire Department is planning a "Community Fundraiser for the Family of Thomas Valva." On Wednesday and Thursday, the fire department will open its doors to accept donations.

"We will be collecting gift cards and monetary donations that will benefit Thomas' immediate family," the fire department said in a Facebook post. "Suggestions for gift cards are Visa cards, Walmart, Target, supermarkets and local restaurants like Applebee's, IHOP, Panera Bread, Dairy Queen, TGI Fridays, McDonald's and Burger King, to name a few." Donations will be accepted from 5 to 8 p.m. in the main meeting room on the second floor. For questions regarding the fundraiser, people are asked to contact Maria Renzetti at 631-484-4085 or by email at Mrenzetti@centermorichesfd.com.

A new GoFundMe page, "In Memory of Thomas Valva," has been set up to benefit Thomas' mother, two brothers and extended family.

Thomas' father, NYPD officer Michael Valva, has been charged with second-degree murder along with his fiancée, Angela Pollina.