(April 08, 1959 – April 26, 2023)

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that the Ankoviak, Gertz, and Tomkow families announce the passing of Thomas Frank Ankoviak, 64, of Dade City, Florida. Tom was born on April 8, 1959 in Albert Lea, Minnesota to Bill and Julia (Tomkow) Ankoviak. He was the fourth born of six siblings. When Tom was in high school, he spent summers in Florida working on his Uncle Frank Tomkow’s Farm and making memories with his cousins. After graduating from Albert Lea Senior High School in 1977, Tom decided to make Florida his home and continue working for his Uncle Frank for a time. He met the love of his life, Dianne Spooner, in 1984. Being a bit shy it took Tom a while to pop the question. On May 8th of this year they would have celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. The majority of Tom’s working years were spent as a lighting and sign contractor. Tom was employed by his great friend, Mike Rossi, at Superior Property Solutions for the past several years. In his free time, he was an avid fan of watching any sport that involved a ball. He was always available to his girls unless it was March Madness or his favorite teams were on – all of the Tampa Bay teams and his Seminoles.  He was always a soft-spoken guy until it came to taunting his Gator-loving grandchildren with his FSU tomahawk chop or a text message about their team being losers. To know Tom was to love him. He was a man of few words, but his actions spoke gently of his love. He loved his wife fiercely and was the epitome of a true gentleman. We will always remember him as a devoted and loyal husband, a loving daddy, a perfect papa (as quoted by his girls), and a friend to everyone. May we all be reminded by his sudden passing that  tomorrow is never promised and we must do our very best to seize the day. Cheers, Papa! This rootbeer is for you!  Tom was preceded by in death by his mother, Julia Ankoviak, and his father, Bill Ankoviak. Survivors include: His wife, Dianne Ankoviak. His daughter, Christy Gertz, her husband, Jeffrey Gertz and their children , Alexis, Tianna, Daniella, and Lizzie. His daughter-in-love, Michelle Heron (David), and their children Dakota, Cheyenne, and Hunter. His siblings Judy French (Chuck), Mike Ankoviak (Patti), Stan Ankoviak, (Shayne), Jane lair (Loren), and Robert Ankoviak (Christy). He was also a beloved nephew, cousin, uncle, and great uncle to many. He also left behind special friends, Tommy and Donna Dorman and his furry best friend of 14 years, Rex. Celebration of Life will be held in a special place at 36315 Tomkow Lane in Trilby, Florida on Saturday, May 13th at 3:00 PM. Please wear bright colors, especially yellow.