Thomas Czarnik Obituary

To The Czarnik Family,
We all grew up with Tommy. We lived across the street from him!
We have great stories and fond memories of him. He always had
a great wit, a fun story to tell, but also a nice comment to make
to you which left you feeling happy. We will always remember
him as a very happy and compassionate person. You are all lucky to have him as your son, brother or uncle.
Love, All of the Baltowski Family

Tom was more then a coach and mentor to me, he was a friend. He was both inspirational and entertaining. I look back now and realize how special it was to play for him at New Trier. I can still here him saying this today "Ladds, we need to have some sort of intelligent conversation regarding the play of this hockey club!" Tom you will be missed but never forgotten, so long old friend.

-Drew McLeod

I will never forget playing hockey for Tom, it was both entertaining and inspirational. " Ladd's, we need to have some sort of intelligent conversation regarding the play of this hockey club." I can still here him saying that to this day, so long old friend, and thankyou for everything.
-Drew McLeod

I am extremely sorry for your loss. Tom was the greatest coach and the most inspirational person I have ever met. I was at a loss of breath when I heard he had passed. Tom will be greatly missed.

My prayers go out to those you left behind....Eggs you taught me more in 2 years than I learned in the other 20 playing 16"....great competitor and friend....you will be missed.

My thoughts and prayers are with Tom's family. I played for Tom my Jr and Sr years at New Trier and I couldn't have played for a better coach and a better man. Tom made us feel like men. Looking over these notes I see some that sound very similar, I'll always remember when Tom took 8 or 10 of us out to dinner after practice. Or the time he came to watch his hockey players play their spring sports. Tom was a great coach and an even better man. He'll be missed.

Ben Siegel
New Trier Blue '03-04, '04-05

On Behalf of the Czarnik Family I want to thank all of you for the kind words and stories. I know he had many one liners and I laugh whenever I hear one of them again. He will be missed by so many. There was over 900 people that came to visit at the Wake Services and give Tom his "Hall of Fame" sendoff. The New Trier kids and parents blew me away with your support. I ask you look me up on facebook and keep the stories coming. Thank you very very much. God Bless!!

My sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the Czarnik family. Not only was 'Eggs' a great competitor, he was also one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. He will be missed by all, especially the softball community. May his soul rest in peace.

Wow, Egghead, the memories go so far back! St. Juliana, Brooks Park, Notre Dame - you were always true to your passions. The ones I remember the most are baseball, softball, and the E.P. boys! I am glad you were a part of my life. It was fun watching you play baseball & softball. Although I moved away and lost touch with our group, my family has kept me updated since they are all passionate about baseball and they know Ray very well. I'm sad I did not know about your hockey experiences, but way to go with your successes there, too! I read about your major league and Hall of Fame softball ventures and I am not surprised. It is so good to see you truly lived the way you wanted and achieved your success and how you influenced others. I see most people know you as "Eggs" now, but you will always be "Egghead" to me! Rest in peace and God bless your family.

Dear Mrs. Czarnik, Ray and the entire Czarnik family,

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Eggs and pray that you will all find comfort in the fond memories of him. Please know that he is now with our Lord, and is at peace.

Our Love: Steve, Debbie, Russ and Raechel Schaibly

I want to express my deepest sympathies to the entire Czarnik family. Tom had a very unique personality but was very endearing to many people. He was my hockey coach from my Freshman through Junior years of High School. He not only taught me a lot about the game of hockey, but also about the game of life and how to dedicate yourself to what you want.

What says the most about him as a coach, friend and man is the fact I have remained friends with him through all these years (I am 37 now), as have many of the fine young men he coached. He touched a lot of lives.

Rest in Peace Tom.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Czarnik family. Tom was so much more than a great hockey coach. He had and will continue to have such a positive impact on the lives of the young men that he coached. It was an honor to know him. We will miss you Tom.

Tom,

Your contributions to our family and the New Trier Hockey Community will continue to live on. Your leadership, determination, and wisdom have blessed all of our lives. We all learned from you the responsibility and privileged to wear the New Trier sweater, as the ghosts on the banners watched over us. Your inspiration was a cornerstone to our development and success in not only hockey but in life. You focused on teaching us all the tough life lessons in all the right ways.

A lasting memory was when we skated for a month with no pucks, as you skated around the ice and played air guitar to Black Betty (wearing cross and bones bandanna, I might add).

Thank you for touching our lives,

Colin
NTB '03

Deepest condolences to the Czarnik family from the entire sales and management staff at Napleton River Oaks CJD. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

The entire sales staff and managers give our deepest condolences to the Czarnik family for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.

TO THE CZARNIK MFAMILY I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS TOM WAS A GREAT COACH AND FRIEND HE WILL BE SORELY MISSED

Our condolences to the Czarnik family.
Tom was a great player and friend to all..
God Bless, Ed,Lorraine&Jayne Zolna

Tom, you always had a minute to talk...about anything. You had a competitive spirit, enjoyed sharing stories, and never failed to entertain. As a mentor, coach, and friend, you made a lasting impression and will be missed.

Scott Sortal
New Trier Hockey Club

Tom - you and Joe were so dedicated to all of the Deerfield Warriors Hockey Family that it would be remiss not to give you a BIG thank you. You will be missed Coach.

To one of the greatest competitors in softball and a very colorful guy. You will be truely missed, but I guess god needed a pitcher for his team and he got one of the best!! God bless you and the whole Czarnik family..

Tom, thank you for teaching the life lessons, the pride in the team, and the demand of a players best. The impact you had on my sons is the legacy that will live on. You were great man.

Coach Tom, you will always have a place in my heart. I'll always remember you as an inspiration to myself and the other guys on our hockey teams. Thank you for kicking my butt and giving me praise when I needed both. I'm so saddened by the news but so grateful I got to know you. I will always think of you and demonstrate the lessons you taught me on and off the ice. You will be missed dearly.

Czarnik family, I want you to know Tom's left a lifelong impression on me. I still carry with me one of the sayings he would tell all of us after a hard fought hockey game when we came out on the losing end - "If you can look at yourself in the mirror and honestly tell yourself you worked as hard as you could, then you have nothing to be upset about and should be proud". I am proud of Tom. My condolences.

Coach Tom taught us about the tradition of New Trier hockey. He told us that every time we put on that sweater, we represented all of the former players, the "ghosts" that still lingered in the bleachers at the Winnetka Rink. I like to think that Tom's spirit will live on in the New Trier hockey tradition.

He was a great coach who pushed us to be better, both as hockey players and as young adults. He will be sincerely missed.

Tom,

You made it a complete HOOT to referee your hockey games. I made the same calls against GREEN as I did BLUE! You perfected the WAVE OFF and the DELAYED TIME OUT. Your camaraderie in hockey will be truly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Czarnik family.

"In coelo quies est" - In Heaven there is Rest

GODSPEED my friend

Bill Fehrman and Family

My deepest regards to the family and loved ones of coach Czarnik. He will always be remembered as one of the inspiring coaches I had as a young hockey player. His coaching transcended the ice rink in teaching life's lessons of hard work, determination, and keeping your head up high.

Here's to you coach,
Jack Wille, NTB 2004-2006

Coach Czarnik touched a staggering number of young lives. Do the math. He had a positive influence on hundreds, if not thousands, of hockey players during their most formative years in high school. I am so very grateful to have played for him and Joe.

He was our mentor, our advocate, and our often fearless leader. He always fought for his players. When parents or the school tried to do something to diminish our status as athletes or take something away from us, he stood up for us 100%. He made us proud to be hockey players when others tried to bring us down. Though he was never our friend, because we didn't need our coach to be a friend, we needed him to be a coach. I can still hear his voice saying, "Oh, I don't need any 16 year old friends, David," and I'm glad for that.

Some fond memories include the time he took twelve of us out for a family-style dinner at the Greek Islands downtown to celebrate our teammate making the All-Star team. And the time he called me after I had a big fight with my parents about going out with my teammates, to remind me that I had the rest of my life to experience all those adult experiences and that I needed to listen to my parents. On and off the ice, he helped us all grow up and to make tough decisions about our life priorities.

Finally, he poured his entire being into coaching. When I first joined the team in 1993, I had a hard time believing he had a day job or any kind of life outside of the team. He was so fully committed, that I was convinced he was a full-time high school hockey coach. He was there for 5:30 am practices and 10:00 pm games. He never had to miss a game or practice for his job, furthering the myth that he devoted his entire existence to the team. He turned average players into good players, good players into great players, and mediocre teams into champions. He found a role for everyone, and he valued hard work more than raw talent; he put an "A" on my jersey my senior year.

Thank you Coach Czarnik. May your family and friends know just how important you were to so many young players, and how many of us turned out to be better adults because of you.

Tom, you were a good man. You showed so many New Trier Blue hockey players what it means to succeed through hard work and perseverance. You took individuals and taught them how a team is that much stronger than one person. Most importantly, those boys knew that your heart and soul supported them at all times. Thanks. We will miss you.

March 16, 2011
Our deepest condolences to the
entire family of Tom.
Ed & Annie Flaherty
Spring Grove,IL.

Dear Tom,

Thanks for all that you did for the NTHS Blue Team. You worked so hard and gave so much. Thanks also for your humor--you called Davis and Neil "Lewis and Clark" after they got lost a few times going to away games senior year. I laughed so hard! I have always admired your spirit and passion for hockey. Your passion lives on in all of us.

Love,

Buffie, Jim Davis and Gabe

I'll always remember how Tom stood up for me, and other players who played little league baseball when we played for the Giants at Olympia Park Little League. Tom always showed in grade school and on the field that everyone was important. A stunning tribute to someone who was only 12 or 13 years old. While I didn't see Tom much after high school, I read about his exploits in softball. A amzaing man and person who left us way too soon.

Coach,

You'd be happy to know that I broke 200 lbs. I'm no longer that 97 lb freshman.

The work you did with high school players was inspirational. You were able to take a bunch of guys, disheartened from not making the top team, and adjust our focus, change our perception, and grow us as individuals, teammates, and hockey players. The impact you made on all of us, went far beyond the game; you taught the right life lessons.

You will be sorely missed and I send my deepest condolences to everyone and anyone that was touched by this incredible man.

Rest easy, Coach.

Tom you were the heart and soul of our 1991 national championship team thank you for your hard work and dedication to splinter sports club. condolences to the czarnik family eggs you will be missed.

eggs you were the heart and soul of our 1991 national championship team you and mustari and o'conner made me a better tougher person and competitor rest in peace my condolences to the family

Eggs, you will be truly missed. You were so very special to my father, and our whole family. You were like an uncle to me, and it's going to be weird not having you at the Levee for St. Patricks Day! :( We will be thinking of you all day, and you will be in our hearts forever. R.I.P.

My deepest condolences to the Czarnik family. Tom coached my son, Alex, at New Trier and taught him many things on and off the ice. Alex and his friend Zander looked like brothers and Tom could never tell them apart. They loved to joke with him, trading drivers licenses in the process.Tom always had a laugh with them. He was tough but he truly loved the game of hockey and the players he coached. Rest in Peace.
The Santostefano family

Our deepest sympathies to the entire Czarnik family Tom lived his life to the fullest and helped mold the lives of many young men as a Coach. He will be remembered fondly.

My sincerest condolences to the Czarnik family. Tom was an incredible man, an amazing hockey coach and a great leader. His unique wit, sense of humor, and kindness always made him a joy to be around and put a smile on my face. He will be missed greatly and never forgotten at NT Hockey. May he rest in peace. -Sean Keane (New Trier 2002)

Thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Czarnik family. Tom was a devoted coach, a fierce competitor and a wonderful friend. I learned a lot about coaching, competing, and life in general in the time we worked together- you will be missed.

My sincere condolences to the Czarnik family. Rest in peace my friend.

God Bless , Wally Pecs

I'm at a loss for words. Eggs and I go back to our baseball days at Notre Dame in the 70's and we played softball together for over 20 years. Our prayers are with Tom's family.

My deepest sympathies to the Czarnik family. Tom coached two of my sons at New Trier and was superb not only as a hockey coach in technique but more importantly in the true fundamentals of transforming from an adolescent to a man.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Tom's family. Tom Czarnik will always be remembered as an inspiring, devoted coach and a fun person to be around. May he rest in peace.

Surjit, Mary and Taig Rajpal
New Trier 2005

Played softball with Tom starting in 1980 with the Rollers. At that time as a teammate we developed a friendship that grew when I got married and had our 3-kids. One of the best times was the National Championship in 1991 in AZ. It is a great loss and he will be missed.

My deepest regards to Tom's family,