Since it's quite popular these days, I decided to write my own obituary ahead of time. They say that it's a real gift to the spouse and family so they don't have to do it! :)
I knew that in life I was going to have to surround myself with smart people when, at the age of 9, right after my sisters and I took a round of IQ tests at school in Essexville, MI, I overheard my father (Wally) saying to my mother (Lorraine), “what are we going to do about Tom? … Mary Kay and Linda are really smart, and he's not.” :)
I never told my parents I heard that … but it provided me a lot of incentive to work hard, and like I said earlier, find people smarter than I am to surround myself with, and that wasn't going to be hard to do. :)
I got lucky with a little bit of athletic ability (my father said it came from my mother) and a lot of hard work, I became a four time All American diver in high school and at Michigan State University.
From the age of 9, when I was counting my money (stored in a shoe box) from the sale of pumpkins to the neighbors from my father's garden, I always wanted to be in business for myself. I sold each pumpkin for $2 and the pumpkin seeds were virtually free … my cost of goods sold was $.01, the gross margin was $1.99 and that all went in my pocket. And what neighbor would say no to the neighborhood kid selling stuff to them out of his little red wagon. That was so easy that I decided to do something like that when I grew up.
So over my 50+ year career I started 8 companies, including my failures. The ones that made money were the ones where I found really smart people to help me. The ones that lost money were the ones I got greedy over … did not find smart people to share in the equity of the business (I wanted it all for myself). Lesson: Include really smart people right from the beginning.
My last business was the most fun and the easiest … it was called The Brain Trust which was a forum (monthly meetings) for local CEOs to come together to help each other. I ran the meetings and sat back as my genius clients gave advice to each other. All I had to be good at was asking the right questions and make sure that the people in the room were … that’s right … really smart. :)
The most important stuff is about my wonderful family.
I am survived by:
My wonderful wife, Marilyn, a kind and loving soul, very gifted in the healing arts (people from all over the world sought her out) … and a massive supporter of animals and the environment.
My daughter Kathryn, eternal optimist and all-around upbeat person and great parent … married Vincent Thomas (also great parent) and gave birth to Makayla, Armonia and Vince. She went to college online from her bed as she recovered from serious illness and overcame a lot of obstacles along the way.
My son, Steven, who is the nicest person I have ever known, and everyone who knows him, loves him. He is a gift from God to the world for his thoughtfulness and his character.
My stepdaughter, Brittany, who has dreams for her future coming out of her ears and has the work ethic to make dreams come true … and has a wonderful daughter (Aria) and son (Winter).
My “son”, Benny Marchuk, who became part of the family when I volunteered to become his “Big Brother” when he was 11 years old and needed a father figure … part of the family now for 20+ years, and now married to Christinne. Benny is the personification of love as he gives it so freely … and has also overcome a lot of challenges in his life.
And yes, they are all smart, and I can brag about that because none of them have my genes! … and I the luckiest person alive for each of them coming my way!
My sisters, Mary Kay and Linda, passed in 2023.
Last but not least, I am a 5-time cancer survivor for 41 years until I wasn’t, which is probably the reason why you’re reading this document. :)
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