Michael Thomas Duymich, 84, of St. Clairsville, Ohio passed peacefully December 21, 2020 in Liza's Place, Wheeling, WV in the presence of the Lord and loving family.

Called "Mike" growing up but preferring "Tom" in adulthood, Tom was born May 9, 1936 in Wheeling, WV to Stella (Belant) and Thomas Duymich. Tom was the youngest child in a family of eight sons. Born to Yugoslavian immigrant parents, Tom grew up on a working farm. A farm, not for profit but for family sustenance. Tom's father, Thomas, worked the farm to provide for his family in addition to, often, multiple paying jobs, including coal mining, to help make ends meet.

Entering life at the cusp of WWII, by the time Tom was five years-old all, save the three youngest children, were serving in the war efforts. This left the farm work to his parents and the remaining three children. Tom often told his kids stories of some of his daily pre and post school chores including fetching the daily water (all year long) from the pump house (hundreds of yards down the hill), churning butter to accompany his mother's daily fresh baked bread, feeding livestock, and keeping the smokehouse fires going. One story shared was when Tom and his brother, once, in a timesaving measure, decided it more efficient to merely use a pile of hog hair to feed the smokehouse fire instead of wasting time arduously chopping firewood. This ingenuity was lost on their father, whose response to the disastrous outcome of the family's yearly meat supply was swift. Lesson LEARNED.

Although, financially poor, the Duymich farm produced all the food they needed so that when the nation was surviving on war ration coupons, the Duymichs were able to swap all of their ration coupons with neighbors for the two things their farm did not supply, sugar and shoes. In charitable acts, Thomas and Stella would often invite the local church / orphanage to take whatever they could manage from their various fruit trees and crops.

A post-high school delivery job proved serendipitous when a coworker shared photos of her classmates with Tom. Of them, Tom saw only one, Judy Lou Christ, his future wife. Judy's circumstances were opposite than Tom's on every level except location. Judy's family was a small, upper middle class family of two girls whose parents owned a jewelry store downtown. Although a long shot, Tom was determined to meet her. Unfortunately, Judy's mother was opposed to their match due to Tom's background and lack of college education ultimately confronting him declaring him unworthy and enumerating a long list of pseudo deficiencies. Love won in the end and Tom and Judy married in January 1959 but Tom would spend his life proving he was worthy and capable of providing for Judy and their family.

Jobs being hard to come by in the Ohio Valley, a few years after Tom and Judy married, friends lured them west with the promise of plentiful job opportunities. After building a small trailer in their basement and packing only the essentials (clothes, cradle and Judy's grandmother's washstand) Tom, Judy, and their two young sons, Tim and Tom Jr., made the pilgrimage to southern California where Tom found a job the very next day.

Growing up with his family's hard work ethic Tom not only provided for his wife and growing family but impressively became a self-taught and deeply respected diesel and hydraulic mechanic in addition to commanding construction, electrical and plumbing skills. Tom and his mechanical skills were renown and coveted throughout the concrete pumping industry.

Tom and Judy stayed in southern California for 29 years, had three more children (Tedd, Christine and Susan) and enjoyed a good life, however, the Ohio Valley was never far from their mind and they knew they would return one day. Return they did in 1992 to retire near family in St. Clairsville.

The word "retire" not being in Tom's vocabulary, immediately after arriving in St. Clairsville, after Thanksgiving, Tom tore down and rebuilt the deck then proceeded to work through winter building his dream 4-car garage/workshop. With their property and his projects visible from Route 40 and his non-stop work ethic, especially during inclement weather and winter months, earned him the title "The Crazy Man on Mills Road".

Not one to sit still, Tom worked locally as a diesel mechanic for another 8 years while taking time to help family and neighbors with home and mechanical repairs, cutting, splitting and delivering firewood and in his spare time restoring classic trucks of the 30s-50s. When word spread about his mechanical skills, Tom had more requests than time so he eventually limited his business to lawn tractor repair. After years of helping others, Tom, at 64, shifted his focus fulfilling Judy's dream by building her their beloved log home. They would enjoy 20 years of memories with friends and family in the charming home Tom lovingly built.

Tom kept busy until, when five years ago, it became apparent that Judy's care was his only and most important job. Regardless of repeated offers of help from his children Tom insisted on caring for Judy until his children were forced to rush him to Wheeling Hospital. Coming from such hearty farming stock, and one to rarely be sick or down for long, his children hoped for a rebound. However, although, amazed he had not been completely paralyzed, doctors revealed Tom had been suffering through a painful terminal illness for quite a while in order to care for Judy.

Unfortunately, Tom's first day of rest was the day he was admitted to the hospital on December 5th. After spending his lifetime proving his worthiness, sorrowfully Tom passed two weeks later demonstrating that an uneducated, Yugoslavian farmer's son from Tridelphia was not only completely capable of providing for his beloved wife Judy and their five children but he was loyal, true and cared for her through his own debilitating pain and illness. A larger sacrifice and better testament to marriage vows does not exist. Far from perfect, those that knew Tom would agree that he could, at times, be a curmudgeon but his heart was huge, his spirit, generous, and his dedication to his family unwavering. He is, and always will be, deeply missed by his family and friends.

Tom was joined in heaven by his parents, his seven brothers, beloved and kind father-in-law, reformed mother-in-law and mostly joyously, his adored and much missed Jack Russell "Doodle-the Poodle". Surviving are his loving wife of 61 years and 11 months, Judith Christ Duymich; five children, Timothy (Kathie) Duymich of St. Clairsville, Thomas (Michele) Duymich of San Diego, Tedd (Lisa) Duymich of Phoenix, AZ, Christine Duymich of Monterey, CA and Susan (Jeff ) Vass of St. Clairsville; 11 grandchildren, Ashlee, Timothy Jr., Alec, Natalie, Hannah, Eric, Matthew, Trevor, Kaley, Noah and Aiden, five great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Private services will be at the convenience of the family with burial in Richland Cemetery, St. Clairsville. Arrangements are entrusted to Toothman Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Liza's Place.