Milan "Tony" Alek, 91, of Salem passed away peacefully at Salem Regional Medical Center with his family by his side on March 24, 2022.
Tony was born Aug. 15, 1930, in Salem, Ohio, and was the son of the late Ted and Anna Alek who immigrated from Yugoslavia. He was a 1948 graduate of Salem High School and attended The Ohio State University. Tony attended the Army Language School in Monterey, California, and studied Serbo-Croatian after being drafted and was an intelligence officer in the Army during the Korean War era where he spent time in Germany. After returning to Salem after an honorable discharge from the military he started a career as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service-Salem Branch and retired in 1995 after 36 years of service.
Tony married Winnie (Catlos) Alek in 1964 and was married for 30 years. After their divorce, they remained great friends. They had two children together, Tony was preceded in death by his daughter Elizabeth in 2003 whom he adored and has remained very close to his son, and took many trips to visit him and his family in Arizona. The last words he spoke to his son were "I love you all." Tony was a huge part of his granddaughter's life and was like another father to her. Tony spent the last two years living with his granddaughter and her fiancé, who helped to care for him and he considered his grandson.
Tony was also preceded in death by his siblings Helen "Saya" Graybeal, Mildred "Mitz" Burger, Dorothy "Tootsie" Alek, Steve Alek, George "JuJu" Alek, three younger siblings that died as children, grandson Mitchell Alek of Arizona, and mother- and father-in-law Beatrice and Albert Catlos of Salem, and a few great friends. He is survived by his son and daughter; granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews.
Some of Tony's greatest attributes were humility and modesty, which he advocated. He believed that selfishness was the root of most bad things in life and passed that on to others in conversation and by his example. He was very humble and never bragged or worried about vanity or status but was an extremely intelligent individual and was always sharing his knowledge with family and friends. He was a selfless person and always helped his family and those around him and had a unique sense of humor. Tony loved watching sports, especially football, and was a die-hard Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He was an avid reader his whole life and spent a lot of time at the library in his later years. Tony appreciated the historical aspect of old periodicals and had a massive collection of books and magazines starting from the 1950s. He was the master of crossword puzzles, a great sketch artist, loved jazz music and talk radio, played cards, and watched action and horror movies. In his younger years, he enjoyed golfing and won many trophies in competitions, and even scored the coveted "hole-in-one." He always had a love for nice cars and believed that he scored his wife because he drove a Corvette. In his older years, he was spotted cruising the town of Salem with the top down in his Chrysler Crossfire while blasting jazz music. One of the accomplishments he stated was that he never lost his hair and he was always known for his thick, curly hair. He was known for his stubbornness, but he denied this was a trait of his. He will be missed by his family, but the many great memories and lessons he taught us will live on.
The family would like to thank Dr. George (Scott) Wilson for always taking excellent care of him over the years and in his last days. Dr. Wilson grew up with Tony; his son's best friend and Tony was very fond of him and appreciated all his help. We would also like to thank Dr. Raynish in Salem who was very kind and attentive to him, Parkside Healthcare in Columbiana for trying to help rehab him during his illness and Salem Regional Medical Center for assisting in making his transition to the next life peaceful and comfortable. Per Tony's wishes, he will be cremated with no services, but the family will have a celebration of life at a later date.
Arrangements by the Arbaugh-Pearce-Greenisen & Sons Funeral and Cremation Services, Salem.
3/31/22
Tony was born Aug. 15, 1930, in Salem, Ohio, and was the son of the late Ted and Anna Alek who immigrated from Yugoslavia. He was a 1948 graduate of Salem High School and attended The Ohio State University. Tony attended the Army Language School in Monterey, California, and studied Serbo-Croatian after being drafted and was an intelligence officer in the Army during the Korean War era where he spent time in Germany. After returning to Salem after an honorable discharge from the military he started a career as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service-Salem Branch and retired in 1995 after 36 years of service.
Tony married Winnie (Catlos) Alek in 1964 and was married for 30 years. After their divorce, they remained great friends. They had two children together, Tony was preceded in death by his daughter Elizabeth in 2003 whom he adored and has remained very close to his son, and took many trips to visit him and his family in Arizona. The last words he spoke to his son were "I love you all." Tony was a huge part of his granddaughter's life and was like another father to her. Tony spent the last two years living with his granddaughter and her fiancé, who helped to care for him and he considered his grandson.
Tony was also preceded in death by his siblings Helen "Saya" Graybeal, Mildred "Mitz" Burger, Dorothy "Tootsie" Alek, Steve Alek, George "JuJu" Alek, three younger siblings that died as children, grandson Mitchell Alek of Arizona, and mother- and father-in-law Beatrice and Albert Catlos of Salem, and a few great friends. He is survived by his son and daughter; granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews.
Some of Tony's greatest attributes were humility and modesty, which he advocated. He believed that selfishness was the root of most bad things in life and passed that on to others in conversation and by his example. He was very humble and never bragged or worried about vanity or status but was an extremely intelligent individual and was always sharing his knowledge with family and friends. He was a selfless person and always helped his family and those around him and had a unique sense of humor. Tony loved watching sports, especially football, and was a die-hard Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He was an avid reader his whole life and spent a lot of time at the library in his later years. Tony appreciated the historical aspect of old periodicals and had a massive collection of books and magazines starting from the 1950s. He was the master of crossword puzzles, a great sketch artist, loved jazz music and talk radio, played cards, and watched action and horror movies. In his younger years, he enjoyed golfing and won many trophies in competitions, and even scored the coveted "hole-in-one." He always had a love for nice cars and believed that he scored his wife because he drove a Corvette. In his older years, he was spotted cruising the town of Salem with the top down in his Chrysler Crossfire while blasting jazz music. One of the accomplishments he stated was that he never lost his hair and he was always known for his thick, curly hair. He was known for his stubbornness, but he denied this was a trait of his. He will be missed by his family, but the many great memories and lessons he taught us will live on.
The family would like to thank Dr. George (Scott) Wilson for always taking excellent care of him over the years and in his last days. Dr. Wilson grew up with Tony; his son's best friend and Tony was very fond of him and appreciated all his help. We would also like to thank Dr. Raynish in Salem who was very kind and attentive to him, Parkside Healthcare in Columbiana for trying to help rehab him during his illness and Salem Regional Medical Center for assisting in making his transition to the next life peaceful and comfortable. Per Tony's wishes, he will be cremated with no services, but the family will have a celebration of life at a later date.
Arrangements by the Arbaugh-Pearce-Greenisen & Sons Funeral and Cremation Services, Salem.
3/31/22
Milan "Tony" Alek, 91, of Salem passed away peacefully at Salem Regional Medical Center with his family by his side on March 24, 2022.
Tony was born Aug. 15, 1930, in Salem, Ohio, and was the son of the late Ted and Anna Alek who immigrated from Yugoslavia. He was a 1948 graduate of Salem High School and attended The Ohio State University. Tony attended the Army Language School in Monterey, California, and studied Serbo-Croatian after being drafted and was an intelligence officer in the Army during the Korean War era where he spent time in Germany. After returning to Salem after an honorable discharge from the military he started a career as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service-Salem Branch and retired in 1995 after 36 years of service.
Tony married Winnie (Catlos) Alek in 1964 and was married for 30 years. After their divorce, they remained great friends. They had two children together, Tony was preceded in death by his daughter Elizabeth in 2003 whom he adored and has remained very close to his son, and took many trips to visit him and his family in Arizona. The last words he spoke to his son were "I love you all." Tony was a huge part of his granddaughter's life and was like another father to her. Tony spent the last two years living with his granddaughter and her fiancé, who helped to care for him and he considered his grandson.
Tony was also preceded in death by his siblings Helen "Saya" Graybeal, Mildred "Mitz" Burger, Dorothy "Tootsie" Alek, Steve Alek, George "JuJu" Alek, three younger siblings that died as children, grandson Mitchell Alek of Arizona, and mother- and father-in-law Beatrice and Albert Catlos of Salem, and a few great friends. He is survived by his son and daughter; granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews.
Some of Tony's greatest attributes were humility and modesty, which he advocated. He believed that selfishness was the root of most bad things in life and passed that on to others in conversation and by his example. He was very humble and never bragged or worried about vanity or status but was an extremely intelligent individual and was always sharing his knowledge with family and friends. He was a selfless person and always helped his family and those around him and had a unique sense of humor. Tony loved watching sports, especially football, and was a die-hard Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He was an avid reader his whole life and spent a lot of time at the library in his later years. Tony appreciated the historical aspect of old periodicals and had a massive collection of books and magazines starting from the 1950s. He was the master of crossword puzzles, a great sketch artist, loved jazz music and talk radio, played cards, and watched action and horror movies. In his younger years, he enjoyed golfing and won many trophies in competitions, and even scored the coveted "hole-in-one." He always had a love for nice cars and believed that he scored his wife because he drove a Corvette. In his older years, he was spotted cruising the town of Salem with the top down in his Chrysler Crossfire while blasting jazz music. One of the accomplishments he stated was that he never lost his hair and he was always known for his thick, curly hair. He was known for his stubbornness, but he denied this was a trait of his. He will be missed by his family, but the many great memories and lessons he taught us will live on.
The family would like to thank Dr. George (Scott) Wilson for always taking excellent care of him over the years and in his last days. Dr. Wilson grew up with Tony; his son's best friend and Tony was very fond of him and appreciated all his help. We would also like to thank Dr. Raynish in Salem who was very kind and attentive to him, Parkside Healthcare in Columbiana for trying to help rehab him during his illness and Salem Regional Medical Center for assisting in making his transition to the next life peaceful and comfortable. Per Tony's wishes, he will be cremated with no services, but the family will have a celebration of life at a later date.
Arrangements by the Arbaugh-Pearce-Greenisen & Sons Funeral and Cremation Services, Salem.
3/31/22
Tony was born Aug. 15, 1930, in Salem, Ohio, and was the son of the late Ted and Anna Alek who immigrated from Yugoslavia. He was a 1948 graduate of Salem High School and attended The Ohio State University. Tony attended the Army Language School in Monterey, California, and studied Serbo-Croatian after being drafted and was an intelligence officer in the Army during the Korean War era where he spent time in Germany. After returning to Salem after an honorable discharge from the military he started a career as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service-Salem Branch and retired in 1995 after 36 years of service.
Tony married Winnie (Catlos) Alek in 1964 and was married for 30 years. After their divorce, they remained great friends. They had two children together, Tony was preceded in death by his daughter Elizabeth in 2003 whom he adored and has remained very close to his son, and took many trips to visit him and his family in Arizona. The last words he spoke to his son were "I love you all." Tony was a huge part of his granddaughter's life and was like another father to her. Tony spent the last two years living with his granddaughter and her fiancé, who helped to care for him and he considered his grandson.
Tony was also preceded in death by his siblings Helen "Saya" Graybeal, Mildred "Mitz" Burger, Dorothy "Tootsie" Alek, Steve Alek, George "JuJu" Alek, three younger siblings that died as children, grandson Mitchell Alek of Arizona, and mother- and father-in-law Beatrice and Albert Catlos of Salem, and a few great friends. He is survived by his son and daughter; granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews.
Some of Tony's greatest attributes were humility and modesty, which he advocated. He believed that selfishness was the root of most bad things in life and passed that on to others in conversation and by his example. He was very humble and never bragged or worried about vanity or status but was an extremely intelligent individual and was always sharing his knowledge with family and friends. He was a selfless person and always helped his family and those around him and had a unique sense of humor. Tony loved watching sports, especially football, and was a die-hard Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He was an avid reader his whole life and spent a lot of time at the library in his later years. Tony appreciated the historical aspect of old periodicals and had a massive collection of books and magazines starting from the 1950s. He was the master of crossword puzzles, a great sketch artist, loved jazz music and talk radio, played cards, and watched action and horror movies. In his younger years, he enjoyed golfing and won many trophies in competitions, and even scored the coveted "hole-in-one." He always had a love for nice cars and believed that he scored his wife because he drove a Corvette. In his older years, he was spotted cruising the town of Salem with the top down in his Chrysler Crossfire while blasting jazz music. One of the accomplishments he stated was that he never lost his hair and he was always known for his thick, curly hair. He was known for his stubbornness, but he denied this was a trait of his. He will be missed by his family, but the many great memories and lessons he taught us will live on.
The family would like to thank Dr. George (Scott) Wilson for always taking excellent care of him over the years and in his last days. Dr. Wilson grew up with Tony; his son's best friend and Tony was very fond of him and appreciated all his help. We would also like to thank Dr. Raynish in Salem who was very kind and attentive to him, Parkside Healthcare in Columbiana for trying to help rehab him during his illness and Salem Regional Medical Center for assisting in making his transition to the next life peaceful and comfortable. Per Tony's wishes, he will be cremated with no services, but the family will have a celebration of life at a later date.
Arrangements by the Arbaugh-Pearce-Greenisen & Sons Funeral and Cremation Services, Salem.
3/31/22
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