Thomas Stanley Olkowski

1945 - 2020

Thomas Stanley

Olkowski

Aug. 22, 1945 - Aug. 7, 2020

SOUTH BEND, IN - Eternal rest grant unto him o Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

On Friday, August 7, 2020, Thomas Stanley Olkowski, a gregarious and loving husband and father, passed away peacefully at the age of 74.

Tom was born August 22, 1945 to Carl Olkowski and Mary Sroka Olkowski in Richmond, Michigan. On June 15, 1974, He married Jeanneen Marie Martin, and raised their son, Tyler Samuel Brian Olkowski.

He attended Ferris State University where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration, but was more likely to mention his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. He served in the Army during the Vietnam Era, though fortuitously was deployed to Korea following an escalation in tensions there. Tom quickly climbed the corporate ladder at Kmart, where he managed stores across the Midwest and served as President of the Niles Chamber of Commerce. He then spent 20 years building his own business, installing dog fences across Northern Indiana and building numerous relationships along the way.

Tom made life an adventure. He never saw a lake or stream that wasn't worth at least a cast.

He hunted rabbits with his beloved beagles and wouldn't let a single visitor leave his home without being “inducted” to his lodge. He ventured around Northern Michigan in his younger years and often repeated a possibly fabricated joke about hunting there his last days. Tom loved the Detroit Lions - though he often turned the game off in the fourth quarter - and adopted the Fighting Irish after moving to South Bend in 1983. Though a gruff outdoorsman shaped by his era, he loved to light up a room with a joke and never shied away from shedding a tear. He left his beloved wife and son with words to live by: Tip well and be spontaneous. He surely did both.

Tom was preceded in death by his father, Carl, and his mother, Mary, as well as his older brother, Carl, and his beloved dog, Maddie. He is survived by his wife and son, Jeanneen and Tyler Olkowski, his sisters, Connie Mergos and Karen Zajac as well as a number of cousins, nephews and nieces. He will be dearly missed.

A viewing will be held on Friday, August 14, 2020 at St. Joseph Funeral Home from 4:00pm until 7:00pm , followed by a Mass of Christian burial at St. Jude Catholic Church on Saturday, August 15,2020 at 10:00am. Visitation will also be held at the church one hour prior to the Mass. Burial will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Lakeville. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Michigan United Conservation Clubs are welcome (mucc.org).