Thomas Akers Karcher

Thomas Akers Karcher died on September 24, 2020 from ALS. He was surrounded by his family at his home in Hartville. He was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to Matilda and Aloysius Karcher on December 1, 1943. Tom went to the the University of Pittsburgh and then joined the US Army. He met and married his wife, Megan, with whom he has four children: Megan (Douglas) Jeffery, Dana (Kevin) Phillips, Geoff (Amy) Karcher and Stacy (Jason) Hoffman. Tom and Megan also have 27 grandchildren: Elizabeth, Megan (Brandon), Mackenzie (Mario), Jonah, Mary, Jenna, Thomas, Kolbe, Reagan, Samuel, Luke, Liam, Lauren, Julia, Benjamin, Rhiannon, Anna, Aidan, Caleb, Peter, Spencer, Declan, Priscilla, Brynna, Ruby, Kiefer, and Theodore. Tom and Megan also have two great grandchildren, Freyja and Ruari. Tom also has a sister, Suzanne (Roger) Chirumbole, brother, Michael (Carla) Karcher and many wonderful nieces and nephews, including a very special nephew, David Karcher (Dolores) and his family. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Patricia Foster and brother, David Karcher. After he was honorably discharged from his service as a military police officer in the army, Tom went on to work in marketing and sales, which moved him and Megan to Akron, Ohio and back to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Tom and his family later moved to Canton Ohio, running Junior Achievement where he truly enjoyed teaching young people the basics of business and free enterprise. Tom later transferred to Junior Achievement in Akron and was then promoted to Phoenix, Arizona, where he and his wife and children lived for three years. Upon moving back to the Canton area, Tom went to work for Dellagnese Companies in Fairlawn, Ohio where he spent the rest of his career, and from which he retired in 2013. Tom was a devout Catholic and a parishioner of Little Flower Catholic Parish in Middlebranch, Ohio. He served the parish by helping design and build the grotto behind the church. He enjoyed planning and running the parish festival for several years and served his community through the parish’s Matthew 8:20 homeless outreach. Tom was an enthusiastic outdoorsman who loved to camp, but he had a special love for the water and boating. He and his wife travelled yearly to Assateague Island, Maryland where he was always especially excited to show the ocean to any new grandchildren. Sunrise walks on the beach were always a special way to share his love for the ocean with a child or grandchildren. On August 8th, 2020, Tom and his beloved wife, Megan celebrated a beautiful 50 years of marriage. Family and friends will meet on Monday at 10 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial at Little Flower Catholic Parish. Friends may call Sunday from 1-3 p.m. at the Lamiell Funeral Home. Burial will be in Warstler Cemetery. As a true patriot and Vietnam era veteran, Tom supported many causes that helped veterans, including Wounded Warriors, Folds of Honor and Hope for Warriors. In lieu of flowers, Tom’s family would truly appreciate contributions to one of these wonderful organizations or the ALS Foundation for Life.