Many mourn loss of Olak
BY JOE CENTERS • UPDATED JAN 5, 2016
AT 1:34 AM
Tom Olak wore many hats — husband, father, businessman, volunteer, and by all accounts, just a real good person.
Olak, 45, of Milan, died Sunday evening at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky following a heart attack.
”A tremendous shock,” said longtime friend Bill Bader Jr. ”Tom is three years younger than me and a dear, close, personal friend. I am still in shock.
(NOTE: His obituary is posted on this website.)
“Tom was a cancer survivor. He had Hodgkin’s as a young man, but I always believed Tom’s health was good.”
Olak was involved with his family business, Parts Distributors Inc. (PDI), St. Paul Catholic Church and FCEDO, the Norwalk Economic Development Corp. along with other groups and organizations.
“Tom worked awfully hard,” Bader said. “He was very committed to the family business and to his two girls who are very active.“
Olak and his wife, Kathy, have twin daughters Regan and Kaitlynn, freshmen at St. Paul High School.
Bader is trying to help out as much as possible.
”Because Tom and I were so close, I asked Kathy if I could go to PDI and help,” Bader said. “Jayme and I are godparents to Regan and Kaitlynn. We are very close to the family.”
Business aside, Bader said he’s most concerned about the family.
“Just coming off the holidays is tough,” he said.
“It was just a normal day and something you could never see coming. The shock is just overwhelming. If you are dealing with an elderly person you can prepare for it. You can’t prepare for something like this.
“Kathy is a strong person and has a great support system. This is when everybody will have to chip in and help,” Bader said.
Norwalk Mayor Rob Duncan spent a lot of time working with Olak on the NEDC.
“Tom was such a pillar in our community,” Duncan said. “I was with him just about every day with the NEDC. It is going to be a huge void to fill.
”He was involved with so many boards. And he had so much wisdom for his age. He brought a lot to the table.
“My heart just goes out to Kathy and the girls.”
Norwalk Realtor and Councilman Dave Wallace talked about Olak.
”I worked with Tom on different levels,” Wallace said. “He was a friend of mine and my cousin works for him. And I ran into Tom a lot with the Republican party and the NEDC. It was quite a shock. Unbelievable. God has a plan for everybody.
“He was just so busy — that’s called living. Tom was involved with so much. Tom lived and he gave back so much to the community. Tom touched a lot of people and helped a lot of people,” he added.
It was a real tough day for John Evans, a close friend of the family who also was involved with the funeral arrangements.
“Tom was a nice and friendly guy, dedicated to his family, Norwalk businesses and economic development,” he said.
Friday from 10:00 a.m. until time of service at 11:00 a.m. St. Peter Lutheran Church, 243 Benedict Avenue, Norwalk with the Rev. Ann Marshall will officiate. Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Huron County Humane Society 246 Woodlawn Ave., Norwalk, OH 44857, FCEDO, 93 E. Main Street, Norwalk, OH 44857, Fisher-Titus Foundation, 272 Benedict Avenue, Norwalk, OH 44857 or Berlin-Milan Library, P.O. Box 1550, Milan, OH 44846.
Condolences may be shared at norwalkfuneral.com
http://www.norwalkreflector.com/Local/2016/01/04/Local-businessman-s-death-a-shock-to-the-community.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p=1
The Huron County Humane Shelter is a 501(c)3 non profit organization in Norwalk, Ohio. We are the voice for abandoned, abused and neglected animals. We speak so they can be heard. The shelter is funded through donations and private funding.
