Date Of Birth: November 21, 1937
Date Of Death: September 20, 2008
Dr. J. Thomas McElroy, age 70, beloved Indianapolis physician and counselor, and recipient of the 1999 MS Society Courage award passed into God’s presence Saturday, September 20. He had battled MS for 45 years. In 2006, Dr. McElroy and his wife Carol were presented the Perseverance Award from College Park Church for their example of faith and courage in the face of the disease. Dr. and Mrs. McElroy , an RN, made a unique and inspiring team as she became his hands and feet while he served people with his insight and medical expertise. After being diagnosed with MS in 1963, Dr. McElroy went on to practice internal medicine and family counseling for over 30 years while confined to a wheelchair. Over the course of his career he maintained a private practice, worked for St. Vincent Hospital for 25 years and served as the Medical Director for Northwest Manor nursing home. He also volunteered at local free clinics Raphael and Good Samaritan. He was an avid reader, sports fan, and fisherman and loved to share his Christian faith. Dr. McElroy was born in Indianapolis, IN on November 21, 1937, the oldest son of the late Dr. James Stewart and Helen Katherine (Dillin) McElroy. He graduated from New Castle (IN.) High School in 1955 and went on to graduate from Wabash College in 1959 and Indiana University School of Medicine in 1964. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carol (Vetter) McElroy; a daughter, Susie Renollet and her husband Frank; a son, J. Scott McElroy and his wife Danielle; four grandchildren, Hailee, Gabrielle, Kaia, and Samuel; a brother, John R. McElroy. He was preceded in death by a sister, Jane McElroy.Visitation will be Tuesday, September 23 from 4 to 8 p.m. at College Park Church, 96th and Township Line Rd. A Celebration of his life will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 24th, with a short visitation starting at 10:30. The Family requests donations in his memory be made to Good News Mission/Good Samaritan Health Clinic, 2716 E. Washington St. PO Box 1871, Indianapolis, 46206 and the Indiana MS Society. Please visit his online guest book at www.harrywmoore.com
John and Mary Sue Temple says
Dearest Carol; Our deepest sympathy to you, Scott and Susie. Tom will be missed by everyone who knew him. Your family picture, taken with the Walls and Balches many years ago, hangs on our wall. He was a true soldier of the cross. Tom fought the good fight for so many years. Praise God he is now healed. We will miss him so much.
Love, John and Mary Sue
Bob Susan Lueck says
Carol, Scott & Susie, we pray that God’s comfort and peace which passes understanding will be with you at this difficult time of celebration and sorrow.
We have such wonderful memories of many Friday nights when McElroys, Temples, Hardyes & Luecks met to study basic doctrines and pray together. We babies grew up together then. Some day soon we will once again be young and together before the Throne with no need to study just enjoy our God!
It was always a joy to be with Tom and to be blessed by his insights and humor. We often marvel as to how Tom diagnosed Susan’s ruptured appendix while she was in a body cast and he did not see her. We had such fun on our trips to the Ozarks and to visit Balches.
Tom finished his race well! We love all of you so much and will keep you in our prayers.
“…The God of love and peace shall be with you.”
II Cor. 13:11
Bob & Susan
DAVE AND BARB HORNER says
DEAR CAROL, SCOTT AND SUSIE,
WE HAVE LOST A DEAR FRIEND IN TOM, BUT REJOICE THAT HE IS FREED FROM HIS EARTHLY SHACKLES AND IS WITH HIS BELOVED LORD.
WE PRAY THAT YOU WILL LEAN UPON THE LORD…HE WILL COMFORT YOU ALL AS ONLY HE CAN.
BARB WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW TOM’S EYES WOULD DANCE WHEN READING A JOKE TO HIM..HE ENJOYED JOKES AND FUNNY STORIES. SOMETIMES BARB AND TOM BOTH WOULD BREAK UP LAUGHING!
IT WON’T BE THE SAME GETTING FUNNY STORIES ANYMORE…
DAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED CARRYING AN INFRARED THERMOMETER WITH HIM TO TOM’S HOUSE SO HE COULD GIVE TOM THE TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER REPORT ON THE DAYS HE CAME.
IN THE MORNINGS THAT DAVE WAS THERE, TOM WOULD PRAY FOR DAVE THAT HE WOULD HAVE A GOOD DAY…AND DAVE ALWAYS DID HAVE A GOOD DAY AFTER TOM PRAYED!
BARB LOVED TO HEAR TOM PRAY…SUCH LOVE AND CARING CAME FROM TOM AND CAROL BOTH.
IT WAS A PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOR TO KNOW THEM.
TOM WAS SUCH A WARM AND CARING PERSON..A TRUE MAN OF GOD. WE MISS HIM.
LOVE,
BARB AND DAVE
steve boles says
Carol – Deb and I will keep you in our prayers. We so appreciate the time we have known Tom, and will remember him as a man who loved the Lord and his family.
Robert and Tina McElroy says
Our thoughts and prayers are with Carol, Susie, Scott, and the family. He is in a much better place now!
Linda Veach Illyes says
Dear Carol and family,
I read of Tom’s passing in the Indianapolis Star this morning. I am a very very old aquaintence from the past…a New Castle native and old friend of Dr. & Mrs. James McElroy’s and John. I immediately remembered many fun week-ends spent at Lake Santee in the 60’s. Your children were very small and you had such a wonderful family. I just wanted you to know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time. God bless all of you.
Sincerely,
Linda (Veach) Illyes
James Carpentier MD says
So sorry Carol, but he finally is comfortable. Ann, Nancy, Jenny will all be here Tues.
Jim
BOB NORMA HAGE says
Norma & I are so very sorry to hear about Tom, and we know that he is in presence. May God help you thru this time and give you the peace that only He can provide.
Stephen Shari Gray says
Dear Carol,
Our prayers are with you and we are grateful for the amazing example of Christ you and Tom have displayed through your marriage. We rejoice that your husband is not only in the presence of His Savior, but that he is free from the physical limitations he has so valiantly endured. May God overwhelm you and your family at this time with His goodness, love, peace and comfort.
Robert and Ellen Healey says
Be assured of our prayers and sympathy, Carol. It has been a privilege to know both of you.
Bob and Ellen Healey
Ingle and Suzy Crabtree says
Dear Carol,
We are so blessed to have enjoyed and worked with you and Tom.
Ingle says Tom loved Gods Word more than anyone he knows.
Suzy enjoyed your wisdom and sense of humor while you worked together
as husband and wife.
We remember the 1981 article published in the Power for Living,
“Formula for Courage”
This reminds us of the real life you lived.
In Christ alone, we shared this with you.
May His peace continue to fill you up completely.
We love you, Ingle and Suzy Crabtree
LeRoy King says
I’m sorry that I was unable to visit with you in person. I want to offer my sincere condolences to the family. As Carol knows, Tom and I were medical school classmates, and I want to say what a great inspiration the team of Tom and Carol were to the practice of medicine for so many years. Our class will remember Tom as one who gave the most. God Bless. LeRoy King
Jeanita Schulten RN says
Dear Carol, Susie and Scott,
It has been a long time since I worked as a nurse for Tom in Dr. Vandivier’s office. But I have such good memories of working with him and observing how he shared his faith in his everyday work. Everyone that knows Tom has been blessed. Carol, the life you and Tom lived is a story that should be told for many to share. You both have been admired by many and now Tom is with his God.
Stan Chris Shroyer says
Almost 30 years ago, Chris was Tom’s first office nurse in the then new St. Vincent’s medical building. Little did the Shroyers know that Dr. McElroy & his family would become among the best Christian friends our family has ever had. We love you and are praying for you to be immersed in the comfort that only Jesus can give. Tom is finally free & with the Lord, but we will all miss him so much.
Don Kerner MD says
Dear Carol,
My deepest sympathy to you and your family. Tom was always a special person to me beginning when our paths first crossed at Wabash. I will never forget Tom in his Robin’s egg blue Ford convertible!
The last time I saw Tom was at the 1999 MS Society Courage award event. Tom became an inspiration for me as I am sure he has for many others – some of whom he may never have met. How he helped so many while dealing with his own physical problems is truly amazing.
My thoughts are with you in this time of loss.
Mitzi Need Daffron says
Carol, Susie, and Scott,
So sorry to hear about Tom’s passing, Dr. Tom’s passing, but heaven is surely rejoicing. Would love to connect with you all again. My thoughts and prayers are with you all during this time.
Everett and Karen Cole says
Scripture tells us; If you want to be first, you must be among the very last, a servant to all others. . John – Carol, your brother, your husband, did that very thing for the majority of his life and all under difficulty circumstances. Karen and I had the opportunity on one or two occassions to meet Tom, it was our privilege. We are so sorry for your loss.
Mike Beckie Roberts says
Carol, While we don’t personally know you, we feel as though we do because of the way our son Robbie Roberts has spoken of you and your husband. We want you to know we will keep you and your family in our prayers, and that both you and Dr. McElroy have touched our lives with your inspiring Christian walk. We praise God for Dr. McElroy’s life and want you to know you have both touched more lives than you know. God Bless you.
Mike and Beckie Roberts
The Nishida Family says
Dearest Carol,
Your powerful earthly testimony of the Lord’s marriage covenant and perseverance through trials truly is indicative of our heavenly Father’s glory and grace for a watching world…our love and sympathy to you and yours.
The Nishida Family Prov 3:5-6
Jackie Young says
sorry to hear about your lost but he is gone home to be with his heavenly dad will see him again
Betty Treese says
Dear Carol and family,
I am deeply grieved to hear about the loss of your dear husband and father. He was truly a great man and I count it a privilege to have worked with him. When I was first a resident at St. V’s he demonstrated how it was possible to boldly share Jesus with people in a place where it was not popular to do that. I followed his example then and am doing that even today.
I regret that I wasn’t able to meet you in person to share these things, but my thoughts and prayers are with you. In Our Lord…Betty
Peggy L Sankey says
My thoughts and prayers are with all the family. I remember him well from medical school.
Dr. Peggy Sankey, Class of 1964
John Melanie Zimmer says
Carol
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at the time of your loss of Tom’s presence in your lives. We know that your strong faith will see you through this travail, but it is still painful to lose someone so entwined in all aspects of your life. May Christ comfort you all. Tom was a great role model of how to suffer what life deals you and to do it with a smile and dignity. All of us IU student doctors seemed to have a special comradeship i.e.[ workman’s friend after stressful tests.]
John and Melanie Zimmer
Mike Dann New Castle native says
Carol and John and families:
I learned of Dr. Tom’s passing from some former friends from New Castle, where I grew up on Woodlawn Drive, then just one block south of the McElroy family home on Audubon. I was a classmate of dear Jane from Miss Lander’s kindergarden until she passed on at such a young age. I remember Tom well and John less well. I wanted to add, in addition to my condolences, my fond memories of the New Castle McElroys as a fine, outstanding family and as wonderful individuals.
Len Loker says
It was my priviledge to be a fraternity brother at Kappa Sigma in the class of 59 with Tom. Some of us are chosen for service, and he more than fulfilled his mission. We had hoped to see him at the reunion June 4th. We would certainly welcome and be honored by any family member who would be willing to represent Tom.
William Helvey says
CAROL, THANK YOU AND TOM FOR BEING MY FRIEND AT A YOUNG AND IMPRESSIONABLE AGE THAT I WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL FOR. IT IS WITH SADNESS AND JOY THAT WE THINK OF TOM, WE KNOW HE IS WALKING AROUND IN HEAVEN WITH JESUS AND TALKING TO ALL OF THOSE THAT HE TOUCHED WHILE ON EARTH. WE ARE SAD BECAUSE HE IS NO LONGER WITH US, MANY YEARS HAVE PASSED AND I WILL NEVER FORGET THOSE DAYS AND HOURS OF BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP THAT WE ENJOYED TOGETHER. WE LOVE YOU AND SCOT AND SUZIE AND PRAY GODS BLESSING AND COMFORT WILL FLOOD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS AT THIS TIME.
BILL HELVEY.
william.helvey@gmail.com