John A. ‘Yunko’ Tomich 1957-2026

John was born Nov. 15, 1957, in Youngstown, a son of Edward “Rocky” and Antoinette Hamilla Tomich.

He was a proud 1975 graduate of Campbell Memorial High School and went on to Youngstown State University and earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1979. John then went on to the University of Akron School of Law and earned his Juris Doctor in 1983. John had admissions to practice in the Supreme Court of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

John married the love of his life, the former Helen Tomko, on Feb. 4, 1989, and they shared 37 wonderful years of marriage.

He was an experienced general counsel and licensed patent attorney with extensive expertise in corporate governance, business law, M&A, regulatory compliance, IP and litigation.

After graduating from law school, John worked as a law clerk and associate patent attorney for Renner, Kenner, Greive, Bobak, & Taylor in Akron. He was a corporate patent attorney for the Hoover Company in North Canton from 1988-1990; counsel and assistant secretary for Commercial Intertech Corp. in Youngstown from 1990-1996; general counsel, secretary counsel and secretary for CUNO Inc. in Meridian, Connecticut, from 1996-2006; assistant clinical professor and supervising patent attorney for the University of Connecticut School of Law from 2007-2008; vice president, general counsel and secretary for Doctor’s Research Group Inc. in Southbury, Connecticut, from 2008 to 2010; vice president, general counsel and secretary for ZYGO Corporation in Middlefield, Connecticut, from 2010-2015; and corporate counsel-intellectual property for Ametek Inc. in Middlefield, Connecticut, from 2015-2016.

John and Helen relocated to the Johnstown area in June 2018, where he was sole practitioner specializing in intellectual property, corporate and business law, and related litigation.

John was of the Catholic faith and was a parishioner of Church of the Ascension in Johnstown and also belonged to Christ the Good Shepherd Parish in Campbell.

John was a member of the Ohio State Bar and the Licking County Bar Associations and was a special master to the Common Pleas Court, Mahoning County, in trade secret cases. He was a member of the Service Corps of Retired Executives. He was on the board of directors in the Connecticut division of the American Liver Foundation. He belonged to the Johnstown Sportsman’s Association. John was also a helicopter pilot and belonged to CFU Lodge 185 in Campbell.

John was very proud of his Croatian heritage. He was a motorcycle enthusiast, enjoyed hunting and playing pool, and he was truly a “jack-of-all-trades.” He also enjoyed watching the purple martin birds that made their home in his backyard.

John will be deeply missed and always remembered by his wife, Helen; brothers, Edward “Timmy” (Faith) Tomich of Carmel, Indiana, and Walter (Celeste) Tomich of Poland; along with many nieces, nephews and cousins whom he loved.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, William A. “Billy” Tomich; and his niece, Asia Tomich.

The Tomich family has entrusted John’s care to the Wasko Funeral Home in Campbell, where calling hours will be 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.

Prayers will be offered at 9:15 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at the funeral home, followed by a memorial Mass at 10 a.m. at Christ the Good Shepherd Parish in Campbell.

John will be laid to rest in St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that monetary donations be sent to Church of the Ascension, 555 S. Main St., Johnstown, OH 43031.

Please visit www.waskofamily.com to view this obituary and to leave condolences with the family.

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