Thomas Lawrence Blacik

 

Thomas Lawrence Blacik, age 65 of West St. Paul, passed away surrounded by his wife, Karen and his best friend, Bud on Thursday, July 27, 2023. Preceded in death by parents, Frank Blacik and Martha June Blacik.  Survived by wife, Karen; sister, Laurie (Greg) Miller; nieces, Brianna (Vernon) Meigs and Martha Miller; and many other relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Tunnel to Towers www.t2t.org.

Thomas was a very creative, practical, generous and kind-hearted person.  He loved nature and all creatures great and small from toads and rabbits to wild turkeys and deer.  He achieved much in his life including finishing over 20 marathons, many semi-pro cycling races including many 100 mile "century" bike races and other athletic pursuits in track & field.  He loved to try new things and explore.  He'd see a road and say "Let's see where this goes."  Some of his favorite trips were to Italy, Mexico, Czech Republic, Duluth/North Shore, and Florida.

He had many passions.  They included:  gardening/landscape design, photography, traveling, music, cooking, and building fences, decks, garages, and violins.  He held a general contractor license for 20 years and before that worked in advertising, drafting/engineering, building materials, and finally trained as a luthier to make string instruments in his 50's.   He was a life-long learner and everything he put his mind to he did with excellence, focus, and deep commitment. His first violin was a gift to his wife, who plays it to this day, and was played by several professionals who gave it high marks for both tone and workmanship.  

Thomas played French horn in high school to get into the school orchestra, but his real passion was for rock 'n roll.  He played in several bands as a drummer.  His favorite bands of all time were Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and The Who.  He also enjoyed classical music especially violin and cello and pieces by J.S. Bach, Gustav Mahler, Antonin Dvorak, and others.  

Thomas made the most of his final year by designing a Japanese garden, building a fence and fire pit area, becoming a connoisseur of fine bourbon, seeing his wife perform Mahler's 5th Symphony live and becoming closer to God.