Thomas H. Orac, born Harry Offenberg in 1928 in Granc, Slovakia, died June 27, 2020 in Cleveland, USA. Loving father to Vera and Jana, with nieces, cousins and extended family in Cleveland and around the world. They know what they meant to him, and he to them. Predeceased by wife Anna (nee Simkova), sister and brother-in-law Gabriela and Arpad Kacer, and parents Maria and Sigmund Offenberg. This death was not his destiny.
As a youth, Tom survived World War II thanks to people of goodwill in his home village and in the village of Olsavica, where he, his sister, and mother were hidden by Father Michal Maslej and local people. He graduated in chemical engineering from the Czech Technical University in Prague and had a long career as an engineer in Czechoslovakia, Canada, and the United States. Tom held numerous patents about complicated things that his daughters never understood.
A lover of books (which he consumed in six languages) and of knowledge about a staggering array of subjects, a passionate downhill skier from an early age, his many other interests included economics, history (especially WWII and the 20th century), music, and film. He had a lifelong appreciation for chicken paprikash, strudel, kremes, and berets, his signature hat. Tom took a sincere interest in those around him – friends, family, and those he met in the course of daily life.
A long-time member of the Jewish Secular Community and the Child Survivors in Cleveland, he carried with him to the end the memory of aunts, uncles, cousins, and neighbours murdered during World War II.
Private cremation has taken place. Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz handled the arrangements; online condolences may be left at bkbmc.com. Those who wish may donate in his name to the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
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