Remembering Tom McConnell
Thomas E. McConnell (68) passed away at his Anderson home on August 18, 2022, surrounded by loving family after a long battle with cancer.
Tom, as he was known by those who loved him, was born in Anderson in 1954, and grew up playing with his brothers and sister in Edgewood. A graduate from the old Anderson High School, Tom married his lifelong bride Sherry (Schadler) and went to work as a union toolmaker for General Motors in Anderson.
Together, Tom and Sherry, in their 49 years of married life, raised four girls in their warm west side home: April Salyers (husband, Brad and son, Dylan (Brittany) children Ripley and Holden), Elizabeth “Libby” Perry (son, Jacob), Hannah Northup (husband, Sean, son, Graeme and daughter, Audrey), and Rachel Irelan (husband, Scott and daughters, Merrett and Farron). Times were not always easy for factory families in Anderson; however, Tom stubbornly found ways to provide for his girls until they were all able to get through college, go to work, and start families of their own.
Tom, a member of the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, was a gentle and kind man of unshakable faith. A consummate tinkerer, he was a self-taught carpenter, loved Southern Indiana hunting and fishing, and generously shared his knowledge and skills. He laughed hard and often, spoke his mind freely (though his expressions spoke volumes), and loved enjoying warm days or soft Indiana rains puffing his pipe on the front porch. Most incredibly, Tom was fiercely caring… he was the constant for almost everyone in his life, always ready to help, eager to offer anything he could, even willing to open his home to friends or family in need.
Tom retired from General Motors in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2006 and then began working at Home Depot in Noblesville, Indiana. His working years were cut short when his motorcycle was struck by a big rig in 2012, but he persisted and enjoyed a storybook decade as “Grandad” with those he loved most. Annual week-long trips to the ocean with all his girls’ families, cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean with Sherry, golf with his brothers, sons-in-law, friends, and grandkids, annual pilgrimages to Sherry’s national quilting conventions, keeping up on Marvel movies with his grandsons, and so many birthdays, holidays, and big family dinners - often bouncing giggling grandbabies on his lap at that same, somehow even warmer west side home.
If the true measure of a man is his impact on others, Tom was a giant to all who were lucky enough to know him. He demonstrated how to live a faithful, substantive, and loving life, and he will be forever missed.
In addition to the family listed above, Tom is survived by his mother, Carolyn (James) Wilhoite; brother, Guy McConnell; sister, Nancy (Kip) Wile; sisters-in-law, Ruth (Bruce) Graves, Suzanne Flatford, Lisa Schadler, Erin Schadler and Michelle Schadler; a host of nieces, nephews and cousins who adored their Uncle Tom.
Tom was preceded in death by his father, James McConnell; brother, Daniel McConnell, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Elmer and Marsha Schadler; brothers-in-law, Rodney Schadler and Timothy Schadler.
Visitation will be held at Rozelle-Johnson Funeral Service on Monday, August 22, 2022 from 11am-2pm. Services will start at 2pm with Bro. Doug Funkhouser of The General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn officiating. Burial will follow in East Maplewood Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, as Tom wants to continue helping in the fight against childhood cancer. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.
Post online condolences at www.rozelle-johnson.com.