Thomas C Mealbach

Thomas Mealbach's Fathers name was William, mother's name Frances Lucille Mealbach, maiden name Manzer. Frances's parent's father Robert, mother Minnie, maiden name Fish). Thomas's siblings were; Brenda (married name Eilers,) William, Linda, (married name Lytwyn) Sharon, (married name Stajda.) Thomas was a very special person with a big heart. and was well-loved by family, and friends alike. "Tommy" was a striking figure of a man, very good looking, and had an easy charm about him. September 24, 2007 Risko's Funeral Home In Honor Of Thomas Charles Mealbach By Sharon Stajda, In Memory Of Brother Tommy On behalf of our family - I want to thank everyone for coming this afternoon. We so appreciated your kindness and that you are here to send him off... What to say to honor my brother Tommy in death? I pondered for several days, and naturally spoke with several people this week, all giving their sincere condolences, and all trying to put Tom's death into some sort of perspective. All meaning well. Just to share a few sentiments--- "Tom was suffering." "His quality of life these past few years was poor." "Tommy would have wanted to end his suffering." "He's better off, the world is not as nice a place as it was..." " He is in a better place". I asked myself -- actually, how would Tommy react or feel to these many sentiments? After all, I wanted his eulogy to reflect his feeling, his beliefs, his views. I didn't want my words to sound as if I were talking about a stranger, but a unique brother, an uncle, your friend... What would Tommy have right now if we could hear him, in regards to leaving this earth? Tommy would have said - bullshit! What I gleaned from my brother in the last few months of his life was that he wanted to live, he wanted to beat his cancer. He wanted so badly to live. At one point he asked me -- how the hell do people make it through these cancer treatments? I had no other answers to tell him but what I had told so many of my patient's for so many years -- you take it day by day, listen to the doctors, take treatment, and try to keep your life as it was before the treatments started. Hold on and pray long and hard. Keep your fighting spirit. Just last Sunday my husband and son and I helped Tommy move into his new apartment. He was so happy that day, even claimed he was going to have us all over to dinner... He appeared to have newfound hope... It was a Sunday, and he was going to enjoy a Lions game. I spoke with him the morning he passed, just two days later. His actual last words to me were, " I am going to beat this Shar..." I am going to beat this. Ending our conversation with I love a Sis, ending our conversation as he always did. I can't remember him ending any conversation or visit any other way... I love you Sis or Shar, in that deep distinctive voice. I wanted to believe his words, yet after seeing him Sunday, and being a nurse, I knew in my heart he was near the end. I clung to hope... Thinking to myself - Tommy has always been a survivor, he knew well how to fight? He had survived many disappointments in his life, and somehow at the other end of a problem -- landed on his feet, bruised but standing. In the last few years, this world knocked him around but good... He felt his government had failed him in regard to obtaining decent health care, and he also was mad at himself. Stating "I abused my body, these problems are problems I created." Yet he had a plan -- a plan to try and beat his health problems, and go on to make every effort to see an end to his health problems and go on enjoying life Even planning to try to reconnect with his son and try to heal what he knew was a wound he had left Brawn with. Tommy loved what life had to offer. He loved his family and friends and had a great love of nature. Oh yes, he loved what life had to offer... He loved to sit around a kitchen table and bullshit, in Toms own words– "the Mealbach's are kitchen people." This tradition goes all the way back to when our aunt Clara would visit on Friday nights, and we would all sit around the table and have a great time talking, and enjoying each other's company. Another great love of Tommy's was nature and all it had to offer. He always had a garden somewhere, if it was on mom's balcony or weed under artificial lights. He often talked about the times he spent with our nephew Kirk on their boat. He loved the water and loved to fish... Not long ago mentioning the moonflowers he loved in our sister Linda's yard, and how he would fetch me some seeds this fall -- so I could plant them in my garden next year. Tommy loved life, and all the earth had to offer. He enjoyed his friend and often talked about friendships. His rock Lionel, his dear friend John. He loved music, rhythm, and blues. One of his favorites was Luther Vandross. Oh, and he loved to dance... He loved the lions, never gave up on them. He valued family, he especially loved Mark, Kirk, and Paige. Sort of standing in as a father figure throughout their lives. He loved a son Brawn, and his childhood sweetheart, his first wife Lynn. He told me "she was my first love, and I wish we could have made it. We loved each other, but just could not make it work, my fault not hers." He loved a girl named Cindy "he called her, the one that got away. He always spoke of how compatible they were, and how well he respected her. Tommy had a wonderful second wife, her name was Debbie. We all loved Debbie. Tommy shared he would always carry a sadness about there marriage. He said he hurt her, and never intended too. He just never should have married her due to still holding a hurt in his heart for Lynn. He loved his mother, and after her health began to fail a few years back, he moved in and cared for her. Making sure she was cared for was his first priority until the day he died. He was making her dinner the night he died, collapsing on her kitchen floor. But now he has passed, and we each in our own way will deal with his passing. In my opinion, and naturally, I speak only on my own behalf. I feel in my heart that Tommy would want us to grieve. But to remember the good times we had with him – keep the good memories, and learn from the bad. He may have even asked us to contemplate the path he traveled through life? Perhaps learn from the many detours his path led him down. I want to believe he would have wanted us to promote and lead healthy lifestyles, and enjoy what God gave us on this good earth. And foremost, to love and care for our family's, and friends, keeping them close. I hope you're in earshot, Tommy? I feel you are... I know you are in a better place, and you're in the good company of Dad, Buz, and Aunt Clara. Please know I will keep you in my prayers, and in my heart. God Bless You, Tommy... I love you --- We will all miss you so...