THOMAS R. DEHOFF
Thomas R DeHoff, 76, passed away after fighting a long, hard battle with cancer on February 19, 2021, at exactly midnight at his brother-in-law’s home in Homosassa, FL.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Thomas (Tom) was born on December 31, 1944, in Portland, Indiana, to Robert Franklin and Ethel Kathleen (Fetters) DeHoff – almost a New Years baby. He often joked how everyone in the world celebrated his birthday.
Raised in Brookville, Tom first met his wife Mary Martha (Williams) on the playground at Brookville Elementary. She was in the fourth grade; he was in the fifth. She was the cutest little thing he had ever seen. Little did he know, their paths would cross again years later, when Tom was headed to basic training. They married on August 7, 1965. They have been married for 55 strong years.
Tom served proudly in the US Navy from 1964 to 1968, as a Radioman on the Aircraft Carrier the USS Kittyhawk off the coast of Vietnam. Upon his return, he began a long career in telephony. He started at General Telephone in Fort Wayne, building up to successful sales positions with Nortel, Siemens, and Lucent Technologies. Although he traveled a lot late in his career, he could not wait to get home to his family.
A true man of God, Tom was a devoted family man and cherished his wife and their four children, Jamie DeHoff-Back (Batesville), Chera DeHoff (Castleberry, AL), Naomi DeHoff-Schuck (Sunman) and Robert DeHoff (Lori) (Greensburg). He was blessed with 17 amazing grandchildren and nine glorious great-grandchildren (with three more on the way) who adoringly refer to him as Papaw, Grandpa, Pappy, or just Pap. He was a loving son, brother, uncle, and friend and touched the hearts of all he knew.
Tom was a jack of all trades. Always doing, never being able to sit still. In 1978, he built his own home in Twin Oaks, Indiana. Prior to retirement, he founded His Hands Extended Ministries with his wife. They both became ordained ministers. The ministry served as transitional housing, affordable daycare, weekly fellowship, and gave to several local charities and others in need. They performed several wedding ceremonies, often together. He also owned and ran his local sign business, Signs of the Times. He had a great love for gardening and planted gladiolus along the border of his gardens in honor of his late father.
Besides his wife and children, Thomas is survived by his Sister, Janice Dunaway (Don) of Brookville. He is preceded in death by his mother and father. His infectious smile will forever shine down on all of us from above.