John George Tholen Jr.

JOHN G. THOLEN Jr., 78, passed away on February 19, 2023. Born in Fort Wayne, he graduated from Bishop Luers High School. He went on to serve in the Air Force for four years and earned a degree from Ivy Tech. He married Patricia (Dick) in 1969 and they had three sons John III and twins Marc and Matt. John had a passion for cars and was able to use that passion in his work with Zollner Pistons in multiple positions including in the laboratory on test engines. He went on to work as a body and paint lead at Crumback Symons Chevrolet. It was rare that his garage at home didn’t have a family member or friend’s car in it that he was repairing for them. While raising the family they would spend time in the summer at the area lakes boating and spending time on the water. A supportive husband, he was all in with whatever Pat wanted to do. Whether it was when she was president of the little league or involved in Bingo at Bojrabs he stepped up to take on more with the boys or helped her with whatever she needed. After Pat’s death John moved to Indianapolis and began work for Precision Measurements. In his home in Indianapolis he built a body painter's dream garage and restored cars for himself and others with incredible detail. He loved poker and played in many hold ‘em tournaments. He played weekly with a large group of friends rotating friendly games in each other’s basements. Although John was super easy going, he did not look forward to the cold weather and would often take winter trips to visit his family who lived in Florida. He was a great father and was thrilled to become a grandfather especially when a little girl finally arrived with the birth of his only granddaughter. He loved Corvettes and owned many in his lifetime. He attended the Auburn auction annually for many years and subscribed to every car magazine available. He was always knowledgeable about what new technology or transformations were happening in the auto industry. He watched the Nascar Cup Series and was a fan of the Chicago Cubs and Notre Dame Football. He was an avid reader even through his final days. John was a kindhearted person who didn’t judge others and was incredibly supportive of those he loved. He was a devoted husband, loving father, and caring grandfather to his family and had a special way to make his friends feel like they were a part of his family. He will be greatly missed by those who were lucky enough to have him in their lives. He is survived by his brothers Jim (Ginny); Danny; sister, Cheryl Holmes; sons, John III (Stephanie), Matt (Verrie), Marc (Becky); grandchildren, Cory, Carson, Noah and Madilyn. John was preceded in death by his parents John G. and Carolanne Tholen, his wife Patricia and his sister, Christina Gordon. A viewing will be held at 11:30am on March 2, 2023 at the D.O. McComb Pine Valley, 1320 E Dupont Road. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION for Parkinson’s research https://give.michaeljfox.org/give/421686/#!/donation/checkout.