Thomas R. Wilson

Lifetime area resident and dedicated public servant, Thomas R. Wilson, 4010 W. Shore Drive, Bremen, Ind.,  died after an extended illness, at 8:53 a.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2000, in the St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Plymouth.

Tom was born on June 6, 1942, in Logansport, Ind.  He was a 1960 graduate of Bremen High School and attended a number of police-related schools.

 On June 1, 1962, in Bremen, Tom and Shirley A. Polson were married.

 He retired as a respected member of the Plymouth Police Department in 1988 after 21 years of service.  Police Chief Tom Chamberlin said, when learning of Tom Wilson’s death, “ I never had the honor of working with Tom.  I know that he was one of those rare people who had a passion for community service and helping others.  His death is a great loss.”

After his retirement, Tom served one year as Superintendent of the Indiana Department of Transportation, Plymouth Sub-District.  He then worked 10 years for the Street Department of the City of Plymouth in vehicle maintenance, retiring in March, 2000.

 True to his commitment to public service, Tom also had served as a volunteer firefighter with the Lake of the Woods Fire Department.

Tom and Shirley owned a popular sporting goods store at Lake of the Woods for 26 years.  He was an avid NASCAR fan, and loved traveling and touring lighthouses.

Tom enjoyed Lake Superior. The Wilsons built their own vacation cabin on the Upper Peninsula.

He was a member of the Indiana National Guard, a member of the Marshall County F.O.P. and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

In addition to Shirley,  his wife of 38 years, Tom is survived by a son, a daughter and four grandchildren.  They are Thomas D. and Angela Wilson II, their children, Ashlee and Breann, and Sabrina and Stephen Wickens, and their children, LaurieAnne and Kristopher, all of Lake of the Woods.

Tom’s father, Robert and Zolana Wilson, Lake of the Woods and his mother, Elaine Lacy, Medaryville, Indiana, also survive together with three sisters and two brothers.  His sisters are Peg and Carl Schweisberger, Bremen, Pat and Tom Gordy, Newport Richey, Florida, and Nylayne Vendola, Thornhill, Tennesse.

Brothers Paul and Paula Ledbetter reside in Cape Cod, Mass., and Oliver Lee Lacy III, in Valparaiso, Ind.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 25, 2000, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. in the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth, and one hour prior to the service at the Salem United Methodist Church.

Funeral service conducted by the Rev. Dr. David Tripp, pastor of the Salem United Methodist Church where Tom was a member, will be held in the church, 302 W. Plymouth St., Bremen, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2000.

 Burial will be in Bremen Cemetery, Bremen.

Memorials in Tom’s name may be made to the Salem United Methodist Church.