Birth date: Jan 13, 1958 Death date: Jun 28, 2020
Thomas Harold Hulka passed away June 28, 2020 at the Harbor Hospice Poppen Residence. Tom was born on a snowy January 13th in 1958 to Paul E. Hulka and Margaret (Sauders) Hulka. The cold January birth date likely sparked Tom’s lov Read Obituary
Dear Mrs. Hulka, Paul, & Nancy,
Please accept my deep condolences. Tom & I were in the same class for 6 whole years at Bluffton school, although those years seemed to last several decades! I was in afternoon kindergarten with Ms. Wampler (Eric Anderson's Aunt), and I don't remember Tom in there so he must have been in the morning class with Mrs. Hammond. And after those formative years at lovely Bluffton, on to Bunker & MHS.
It's heart-warming to think of Tom's passion for trucks his entire childhood and beyond. Other kids liked this & that and it changed at the drop of a hat, but Tom loved trucks and saw everything through the eyes of a truck driver. In 4th grade we all made a mural of our favorite wintertime activity and Tom's, of course, was an impressively detailed snowplow. I still marvel at his talent and knowledge of trucks even at that young age. Beyond MHS, plenty of student were lost on what do to with their lives; Tom knew! - and it was wonderful to see him driving trucks, as he had always aimed to do!
There is another childhood memory that I've though of many time regarding "thinking out of the box." Mary Porter's mother came to our 3rd grade class to demonstrate how to make bread. She explained & mixed all the ingredients, ending by putting the raw loaf into a pretend oven, and removing a fully-baked loaf. Tom's question was totally logical: "But how do you put the crust on?!"
The last time I talked to Tom was at a class reunion at Mona Lake Boat Club, quite a few years back. He was a handsome man, and had that wonderful deep voice, and the polite sincerity and earnestness that he had as a child too. I enjoyed looking through your family photos of Tom, and seeing Tom again as that young boy; thank you for sharing them.
Most Sincerely,
Kara Olson, Beach Street.
Hearing about Tom is a shock. We always looked for his truck as we passed the house & said.."Tom's home!" ... He was fun to be with at gatherings we shared. When I was busy in the kitchen, he would always be there to keep me company or lend a helping hand. He always was polite, with a great sense of humor, and we always got him smiling! Sincere condolences.
I am going to miss you driving by with your elbow out of the truck window, no matter how cold it was. My kids (all grown now) still remember you gave them all a dollar or two before a trip our family took to Mackinaw Island. That was a long time ago, but meant a lot to them! I'll miss you reminding me of my dads birthday, and other dates you so easily remembered! Rest in peace, Tom.
We remember Tom coming to the family reunions held at the Oval's. He was always quiet. Our hearts go out to Cousin Margaret and family. May he RIP.
