Thomas William Kindness

Though he was born in Massachusetts, he spent many of his formative years on a farm in Hanover, Indiana. If you knew him, you know he loved to talk about his time there! He liked to talk about how Woody Harrelson had actually been to Hanover, and that’s why his characters were so spot on. Tom was fortunate enough to be able to take his wife and daughter on a trip through Hanover….it was perhaps not the oasis he represented it to be.

After high school, Tom’s father took him to join the military. (This was his favorite story to tell about joining the Marines.) Richard Kindness was retired from the Navy, so he dropped Tom off at the Navy recruiting office. After being told he was too young to join the Navy, Tom snuck away across the street and joined the Marines. Needless to say, that did not make his father very happy. However, this decision led to some of Tom’s proudest moments.

Tom was so proud of his time in the Marines, and often lamented he should’ve stayed longer. Tom was part of the Black Sheep Squadron and served as an air-winger loading bombs onto planes in Vietnam. Tom fought in the Vietnam War, where he was located at Chu Lai. He also spent time in Japan. Tom very much enjoyed talking about the Marines and showing his slides from overseas!

After the Marines, Tom landed in Ohio where he met his lovely wife, Linda. Tom and Linda were married 51 years and had two wonderful daughters, Kelly and Katie, and two grandchildren, Oliver and Abby. Tom and his family took yearly vacations to the beach, which was one of his happy places. Over the years, Tom coached both his daughters’ sports and sat through numerous dance recitals and plays. He would have done anything for his girls and could not have been a better dad.

Tom worked at AT&T and retired from there in 2009. He enjoyed working there and made some lifelong friendships out of his coworkers. Tom also greatly enjoyed gardening. He grew just about everything over the years, but was especially proud of his Irises and his Hosta. Tom also loved doing crossword puzzles. Even as he battled Alzheimer’s, he still enjoyed working on them!

Tom passed away April 2, 2024 after a difficult journey with Alzheimer’s and complications from a craniotomy. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and daughters. He is survived by his wife, Linda, daughters Kelly and Katie (Randy), grandkids Oliver and Abby, and his brother Jimmy. He will always be remembered as a loving, devoted husband, father, and pappy.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association.