Tom Walker, former Mount Sinai coach and teacher, dies at 70

Whether it was teaching in the classroom or coaching a sport in the Mount Sinai School District, Tom Walker's impact was felt by many.

He found a calling to uplift students and athletes. The saying in the Walker family is “always put kids first.”

“In the middle of practice we needed to be uplifted," Mount Sinai girls varsity basketball head coach Jeff Koutsantanou said. "He would take a mic and sing karaoke and make everyone smile. If things got too stressed, I would have him speak to the team. He would talk to kids no matter who they were and had a lot of heart-to-heart conversations.”

Walker, a father of two and grandfather of four who taught multiple subjects for 39 years and was a longtime coach of multiple sports for the Mount Sinai School District, died Feb. 5 at Good Shepherd Hospice in Port Jefferson. He had a nine-year battle with stage 4 prostate cancer, his family said. He was 70.

Walker had been the Mount Sinai girls varsity basketball head coach before spending the last nine years as an assistant coach. He also coached softball, soccer, boys basketball and baseball in the Mount Sinai School District.

“He was all about lifting up the kids,” his son Brian, 44, of Mount Sinai, said. “He greeted them with a smile and made sure they understood he cared about them. That was the resounding thing that people have said to me. And being in Mount Sinai, I can’t go anywhere without people mentioning him and saying he was their favorite teacher.”

Born Oct. 4, 1955, in Manhattan, Walker lived in Miller Place and graduated from Port Jefferson High School. He attended Suffolk County Community College and Stony Brook University for his bachelor’s degree before earning his master’s degree in education at Dowling College.

He began his long teaching career at Mount Sinai in 1977.

His younger son, Kevin, did not attend Mount Sinai schools until seventh grade. The nerves were flowing, but he was Mr. Walker’s son.

“The first day I’m the new kid, but I was Mr. Walker’s son and I was instantly famous,” Kevin, 34, of Port Jefferson, said. “Everyone knew me and couldn’t believe I was his son. So even though I had to start at a new middle school, I instantly had friends and everyone loved me because I was his son.”

Tom kept all the school photos of the classes he taught, even his student-teaching photo. Brian followed in his footsteps and is currently the principal at Port Jefferson High School, a third-generation educator in the family.

Tom retired from teaching in 2016 but continued to do some of his favorite things. He played in a men’s basketball league every week until July 2025. He spent valuable time with family.

His saying for the Mount Sinai girls basketball team was “All Grit, No Quit, Tight Knit.” Mount Sinai girls basketball will begin the playoffs on Wednesday wearing shirts with that saying during warmups.

“He always preached perseverance,” Kevin said. “No matter what, he told us not to give up. Then me and my brother heard about that saying and now they’re making shirts and it’s just special.”

Walker is survived by his wife, Joanne, 68, of Miller Place, married for 46 years; his brothers, Mark of New Hampshire, and Greg of Fort Salonga; and his sister, Ellen, of Connecticut. He is also survived by his sons and four grandchildren.

His wake was held at Branch Funeral Home in Miller Place on Feb. 12. He was cremated, and a funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Louis de Montfort Roman Catholic Church in Sound Beach on Feb. 13.