Thomas H. Page

Thomas H. Page (Tom), age 91, of Chardon, Ohio, passed away January 23, 2020. He had hoped to go out in a blaze of glory, but in the end, he succumbed to the infirmities of age and a long life, well-lived. In his last days Tom was surrounded continually by family and close friends. He will be interred at Mentor Cemetery where his headstone awaits. He leaves behind five children from his first marriage to Mary L. Williams. His son: John F. Page, daughters: Janis Realegeno, Kimberly (Thomas) Hamilton, Karen Leigh Berberat, Kristin Page (Gregg) Forstyk. He also leaves step-children: Laurel J. (Jeff) Gerrick, Daphne (Joseph Scott) Smyers and Sandra J. Rutkosky. Grandchildren: Megan (Eric) Stuckert, Morgan Realegeno, Claudia (Cory) Realegeno, Alison (Scott) Caulkins, Margit Hamilton, Philip Hamilton, Mia Berberat, Cecily Berberat, Jacob Forstyk and Samuel Forstyk, as well as four great grandchildren. Step-grandchildren: Heather D. (James) Hartje, Jeffrey D. Gerrick II, Rachel P. (Brad) Denny, Stacy M. (Paul) Ingersoll, Thomas B. (Elizabeth) Ginsburg, Cheryl A. (Matthew) Frank, Christian S. Smyers, and 11 step great grandchildren. Also, close friend Leona Parker. Preceding him in death are father, Maynard J. Page, mother, Helen Hughes Page, a younger sister, Nancy Barr Wright, his second wife, Janet R. Page, step-son, Guy E. Gibbs, and a host of friends, including Ruby Brocious to whom he was engaged, and many relatives. Tom grew up during the Great Depression. He began hunting and trapping as a school-boy, and his wild game graced the family table. As a young man he worked as a roofer for his father’s company, Page Roofing. At Mentor High School he lettered in track and football. A WWII veteran, Tom served overseas as a communications specialist in General Douglas MacArthur’s Tokyo Headquarters. He was flown to Guam and Saipan, spending 7 months as a cable splicer. He returned home in 1947, and quickly began planning for his next adventure. During the spring, summer, and fall of 1949 he lived with the native people of Point Hope, Alaska. It is one of the oldest continuously occupied human sites on the North American continent. The small village north of the Arctic Circle, on the coast of the Chukchi Sea, was fertile hunting and whaling grounds. He returned to Point Hope in the winter of 1963, and brought his wife, Mary, and their young son, John. Tom was the owner of P&M Supply Co., the business his father had started. The main store was in Willoughby, another in Painesville, and eventually Tom, with Mary’s help, grew the business to a ten-store chain across Northeast Ohio. The last stores closed in the 1980s and Tom pursued his passion for real estate, and other business opportunities. He felt energized by the challenge of designing attractive neighborhoods. Tom enjoyed being a member of various groups associated with his passions. He was a life member of the NRA, The Ohio Gun Collectors Association, and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, among many other clubs. He hunted extensively across North America, and in South America he searched (unsuccessfully) for jaguar, and for blue sheep in Nepal. He frequently hunted and fished in Pennsylvania as well. A seemingly fearless man, Tom was an accomplished licensed pilot of single-engine, multi-engine, land and sea, and rotorcraft ratings. He belonged to many aircraft and pilot associations and attended air shows as a member of the Commemorative Air Force and War Birds of America with his restored Douglas B-23 light bomber and T-34 Beechcraft Navy Trainer. Tom loved to surprise the neighbors by setting down his Bell Jet Ranger helicopter in the horse pasture at his farm in Concord Twp. He flew between his building supply stores, or sometimes just for ice cream. Another source of pride was his Piper Super Cub that was float equipped. Tom would fly from the Fairport Sailing Center to his fishing camp on a tranquil lake in Quebec, Canada. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Tom partnered first with Roger Patterson, and then Peter Byrne of the International Wildlife Conservation Society in search of Bigfoot. They rode by horseback, leading pack animals to remote locations of the Pacific Northwest. He never caught a glimpse of the elusive creature, but he came away with a few mementos and he sure had fun trying! In 2015, Tom was honored to be inducted into the Ohio Bigfoot Hall of Fame and an extensive display of his Bigfoot memorabilia can be viewed at the International Cryptozoology Museum of Portland, Maine. Tom and his second wife, Janet shared a love of flying and traveling the country in their RV. Closer to home, they enjoyed feeding the birds and walking Holden Arboretum. Tom was an avid reader and letter writer to newspapers and magazines. His favorite topics were the Second Amendment, political and sportsmen's causes. In later life, he wrote his memoirs in a manuscript he titled, Alaskan Sunrise, regaling the reader with his many adventures that took him to some of Earth’s most remote locations. More recently, Tom lived in the Chardon area. He took up yoga and drum lessons, and spent many happy days with Martha Gildersleeve, visiting the area parks, beaches and restaurants. Tom said that he would not want anyone to grieve for him. He lived and enjoyed a long and full life. Gone, but not forgotten. The family will receive friends from 4:00 - 7:00 pm Thursday, January 30, 2020, at Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH 44060. A funeral service will be 11:00 am Friday, January 31, 2020, at the funeral home. Interment will be in Mentor Cemetery, Mentor, OH.

Thomas H. Page

June 2, 1928 - January 23, 2020