Tom Tomasic, 86, of New Westminster, died surrounded by his family and the tender notes of the guitar following several years of a painstaking slide into Alzheimer’s disease. Tom will be forever branded in the heart of his Nina, Ninčo, Ninica, Katarina (Pavić), the love of his life. He will be greatly missed and never forgotten by his daughters Bibiana  (Roland Kaulfuss) and Barbara; as well as by his grandsons Oliver Kaulfus, (Tess Rafferty), Anthony Kaulfuss (Dana Cook), and Peter Kaulfuss (Marie-Elise LaForest).  Toto’s departure deeply saddens his sisters Neda Heinl and Vera Stipčiċ, as well as other members of his family from Croatia.  Known for his sense of humour, his boundless energy and optimism, and his deep passion for life, Tom was an accomplished tennis player and a Life Member of the New Westminster Tennis Club. He skied into his eighties and never stopped being a lover of music or of Nina’s cooking. He fulfilled all of his promises to his wife and devoted himself to the welfare of his family. He was a well-respected civil engineer, who thrived on solving problems and encouraging his co-workers. Tom was ‘all in,’ whether playing tennis or inspecting the installation of a sanitary sewer, whether swinging a hammer, building a fire or swimming at his beloved Otter Lake. Born in Varaždin, he married Nina in Zagreb, Croatia in 1955. With his wife and daughter he immigrated to West Germany in 1966, then to Canada in 1968, where at the age of 39, he and Nina, in true immigrant fashion, started another new chapter, bolstered by the birth of their second daughter, Barbara. He was a tireless worker, and he and Nina never faltered in building the life of their dreams for themselves and their family.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada at www.alzheimers.ca