Milan Thomas PERLICH

PERLICH, Milan Thomas (aka Tom or Mike) After a lengthy battle with multiple myeloma, Tom suffered a major stroke and passed away on March 27, 2018. He was 85. Tom was predeceased by Marlene Patricia Perlich, his wife of 61 years. Born in Jelvica, Croatia, Tom arrived in Canada as a teenager in 1951 with little more than the clothes on his back and a hope for a better life. He soon found gainful employment in the forests of Northern Ontario. Although there was good money in cutting cords of wood for Abitibi Power & Paper, his passion for cars led to work as an auto mechanic where his knack for troubleshooting made him the person to call for engine problems large and small. It was while living in Fort William (now Thunder Bay) that he first caught the hockey bug watching the high-flying Gordie Howe-led Detroit Red Wings of the 1950s. As the years passed, he became a more serious student of the game with an amazing facility to not only recount spectacular goals in detail but the face-off wins, key defensive plays and the coaching decisions which led to them. An offer of employment in the booming steel industry brought the family to Hamilton where Tom went to work at Stelco before moving on to increasingly larger diesel-powered machinery with Liftow Ltd. and then, Case Power and Equipment. Through it all, his love for the great outdoors and hockey never waned. And yes, he knew that even with former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock behind the bench and some promising young scoring talent, the Maple Leafs wouldn't get far in the playoffs with such weak defensive play. Tom is survived by his children Cathy Perlich of the Virgin Islands and Tim Perlich of Toronto, as well as the extended families of Nada and Drago Jelic, and Maria and Ivo Perlic. Thank you to the many friends, neighbours, and family members who helped Tom in his last years. And a special thanks to the staff of the Queen's Garden Nursing Home for their care and kindness.