Warren Thomas "Tom" Hancock

1936 - 2019

March 21, 1936 - January 9, 2019 Warren Thomas "Tom" Hancock, 82, of Playa del Rey, Calif., passed away Jan. 9, 2019 at home, surrounded by family and friends. Tom was born March 21, 1936, in Detroit, Mich., to Florence Huellmantel and Stanley Hancock, along with a younger brother, the late Harley David Hancock. Tom was raised in Detroit where he served as an altar boy in the Catholic Church and participated in soapbox derby racing and ice hockey when he wasn't on a golf course with his father, who was a golf professional at the Detroit and Meadowbrook Country Clubs. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University, Tom and two fraternity brothers went on a vacation to Acapulco, Mexico, and stayed for the next five years, working on fishing boats as cooks and deck hands and pursuing creative small business opportunities. When Tom's parents told him that it was time to get a "real" job, he acquiesced, setting himself on a path that would shape the rest of his life. He sought employment in Chicago, landing a sales position with American Hospital Supply's scientific division, and was relocated to California, which would become his permanent home. In California, Tom spent the majority of his professional career in the electronics division of Union Carbide in roles including national sales manager covering all states west of the Mississippi River and Canada and Mexico. Tom married Marilyn Lyon Filson in 1979 and entered into a new and fulfilling life adventure, happily embracing his role as stepfather and grandfather. He was thrilled and touched in the last days of his life to learn that a great-grandson due in the spring would be named for him. Tom was known to his family and friends for his generosity and a contagious enthusiasm for life that encompassed travel, cooking, gardening, building projects and solving any small or large problem that presented itself – whether his own or someone else's. He loved parties and the people they brought into his life, but at any given gathering could be seen not "holding court" for the masses, rather engaged in deep meaningful conversation with a single guest. He was sincerely interested in people's stories – their backgrounds, achievements, hurdles and talents – and forged lifelong relationships as a result. Tom was an unassuming man with a big heart that he sometimes hid under a gruff exterior. Though he never sought the spotlight, he could set the tone for any outing with just the right hat and one of his perfectly tailored signature shirts. Tom was a force. He will be missed. Tom is survived by his wife, Marilyn Hancock; his stepchildren, Sheilah Filson Burroughs (Mike) and Craig A. Filson; step-grandchildren Katey Lynch Martinez (Matt), Timothy Lynch, Claire Filson, Savannah Filson Davis (Zachary) and Huntington Filson; sister-in-law Carol Jean Hancock; nephews Christopher David (Erin) and Eric Thomas (Rezi) Hancock and grandnephews and niece; and former stepdaughter-in-law Katy O'Donnell. Memorial services will be private.