Thomas Francis Brankin III

Thomas F. Brankin III, age 53, longtime resident of Highland, IN, passed away unexpectedly on September 1, 2020. Tom is survived by his three children, Thomas, Tyler, and Katherine. He is the son of Joan (nee Sauser) and the late Thomas F. Brankin Jr., the brother of Patrick (Susan) and Daniel (Nicole) Brankin, and the nephew of James (Joann) Brankin, Gerald Sauser, the late Ronald Sauser, and Robert Sauser. He was an uncle to many nieces and nephews, as well as a friend, mentor, and coach to countless others. Tom was born on August 23, 1967, raised in Crestwood, IL, graduated from Brother Rice HS in 1985, and earned his accounting degree from Valparaiso University in 1989. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, was a 4-year letterman on the Valparaiso Men’s Golf Team and earned Academic All-Conference recognition. Tom went on to earn his CPA license and owned an accounting and consulting practice in Highland/Schererville, IN. Throughout his years, ‘Coach Branks’ as he was affectionately known, coached numerous sports teams. He spent 12 years at Highland High School coaching boys basketball, football and girls golf, 2 years at Valparaiso University as the Assistant Men's Golf Coach, a year each at Calumet HS and East Chicago HS coaching football, many years coaching AAU basketball in Highland and the Chicagoland area, as well as a number of years as a youth baseball coach in the area. Tom impacted the lives of the hundreds of players he coached, both on and off the courts and fields. His ability to teach the game and connect with his players was tremendous. Coaching truly was his passion and his legacy will live on forever. Private family funeral service will be held Friday September 11, 2020 and will be live streamed on our Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/kuiperfuneralhome. Live Streaming will begin a few minutes before 2:00 PM. A public visitation will begin at 3:00 PM till 7:00 PM at Kuiper Funeral Home 9039 Kleinman RD (two blocks south of Ridge RD) Highland, IN. As per the governor’s mandate, masks are required and practice social distancing. In lieu of flowers, the family would greatly appreciate memorial donations in Coach Branks’ memory to be made to his family.