Thomas C. Thorpe

Born June 11, 1927, in Des Moines, Iowa to Thomas Wesley Thorpe and Catherine Riden Thorpe he graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1945. He attended Iowa State University School of Engineering until the call of the drilling rig lured him back to work for the family business – Thorpe Well Company.

He met the love of his life Josephine Grady in Fort Dodge, Iowa while drilling a Jordan Well for the city. They married in 1950 and she became his partner in every sense of the word for 72 years. He took her on a fabulous honeymoon – fishing – in Sioux Lookout, Canada.

They moved to Ankeny in 1960 and were blessed with three children – Kathryn, Julie, and Thomas. He continued building his water business through the years with hard work, perseverance, and his ever-supportive wife and family. He was a forerunner in technology when his business was fully computerized by 1980.

In his early days in Ankeny, he helped found Ankeny Presbyterian Church. He was a Mason and a Shriner and served as past Grandmaster of the Ankeny Lodge. He was a founder of the original Ankeny Airport. In 1960, he rebuilt a used school bus into a camper – a design that would later be adopted by Winnebago Industries. Many adventures ensued. The family camping events that started at the hunting/fishing lodge – now known as Thorpe Park in Winnebago County – were legendary. Many kids learned to drive, shoot guns, water ski, snowmobile, ride motorcycles, and swim at Lake Catherine. The bus took them to Canada fishing, numerous national parks, and family trips that always seemed to include fishing or hunting.

As Tom and Jo’s children grew and his obligations at work lessened, his adventures expanded. Driving to Alaska, Washington D.C., the East Coast, and Florida, they finally settled on Arizona. Returning to Paradise Park in Sun City Arizona for 23 years, he enjoyed building and reluctantly flying model planes, backyard happy hours with the Arizona crew, endless hours of card playing, and occasional trips to Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada.

Every summer of his long retirement included an obligatory month long trip to Sioux Lookout, Canada for more fishing and boating. Navigating the ends and outs Lac Seul, Pelican Lake and Lake Minnetaki, island camps, shooting the rapids, and trips to English River were shared by his wife, children, in-laws, and grandchildren over the many years. Fishing lessons, looking for the trophy fish, and Tom’s stories always accompanied these trips to escape hay fever season in Iowa. Tom and Jo celebrated a special 65th anniversary at the same location as their honeymoon fishing with the entire family. An accompanying epic dinner party at Maxwell Island with John and Kim Morgan and numerous Canadian friends created a lifelong memory for all involved.

In later years, when the traveling stopped he enjoyed feeding birds in his backyard and putting together a book on the Thorpe family genealogy. This labor of love was led by niece Sue Clark who assisted Tom and Jo as they went through many pictures and stories in the past – resulting in the book. Visits from children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were highlights of the final years.

Tom was proceeded in death by his parents, his brother Wesley Thorpe and his son in law – Jon Hempel. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Josephine, his daughters Kathryn Kiekhaefer (Richard), Julie Lea Hempel, and son Thomas W. Thorpe (Stephanie), and special adopted daughter Sue Clark (Mike), and grandchildren Colin Hempel (Holly Dash), Alexandra Sharp (Neil), Elizabeth Hempel (Logan Ramlet), Anne Kiekhaefer Jenkins (Jed), James Thomas Kiekhaefer, Thomas Joshua Thorpe, Coulton Michael Thorpe (Wendi), and Hunter Wesley Thorpe (Bri) and numerous great grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

A special thank you to the Care by April ladies and Wesley Life Hospice.

A visitation with the family and friends will be held Tuesday June 20th at Ankeny Funeral Home at 5-8 P.M. A time of sharing stories 7-8 P.M. A masonic graveside service will be held Wednesday June 21st at the Masonic Cemetery adjoining Glendale Cemetery, in Des Moines, Iowa at 11:00 A.M.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Shriner’s Hospital and Wesley Life Hospice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.AnkenyFuneralHome.com for the Thorpe family.