THOMAS HOWARD JETT

A man who loved to keep you guessing….

The world became a more interesting place on January 19, 1936 with the birth of Thomas Howard Jett in Indianapolis. Little did his parents, James and Mabel know, but they had introduced into the world a bundle of contradictions. Growing up on the east side of Indianapolis, little Tommy enjoyed the “favor” of being the “number 1 son,” but his sisters, Lois, Leila, and Carol Marie, and brothers, Tim and Paul, would be the first to tell you that he also could be the “number 1 troublemaker.”   Tom combined an often generous spirit, he passionately gave to the causes he loved, with a streak of “orneriness” that saw him race his adult brothers home to be the first to the snickerdoodles or the kid pie (and to be the one to hide them so no one else could have any).

As a veteran of the Army, he loved his time in military service, and loved his country…and had a very low opinion of those who disrespected either.  When such a person crossed his path, he was never afraid to share his opinion.

Hard work was long a part of his life and he worked seven days a week for years, but once he retired, he fully embraced the comfort of his favorite chair and the lure of watching NASCAR, fishing, hunting and football on TV. Woe be unto anyone who crossed into his line of sight as Bill Dance was reeling in a fish…Jeff Gordon was crossing the finish line…or the Steelers or Colts were headed into the end zone. If you were that unlucky person, you better be bringing him a cup of coffee and a cookie, or you may be invited to leave until after the program.

Tom loved his family and greatly enjoyed the chance to gather together and feast upon the wonderful food everyone prepared. Whether huge Thanksgiving dinners, crockpots full of mushrooms, Ruthie’s famous German potato salad, Leila’s cookies and pies,  Paul and Donna’s grilled and smoked meats, or his mother’s ham, Tom loved the atmosphere and food of family gatherings.  He and Anna Lou moved from a young married life of hosting the family party  every weekend in their small home, to be the guest in others’ houses, playing cards, talking, and enjoying each and every person that was there.

While Tom loved the big gatherings, some of his most favorite times were his “safaris” with his brothers, Tim and Paul. The guys would jump into a car, and roam about, finding out of the way places, and occasionally making destination trips to such exotic locals as the Bass Pro Shops mega store in Springfield, Missouri. Why you ask? Just to get out for a few minutes….or perhaps it was to distract them from the fresh cookies they knew would be at their mom’s house.

Tom had a great time with his kids, Jimmy and Jennifer, and his grandsons, Connor, Nathaniel and Joshua, and really enjoyed the driving trips south to Florida and South Carolina, he took with his wife Anna Lou. His love of traveling took him in all directions, and over his lifetime he drove north to Canada, south to the Gulf of Mexico, east to the Atlantic, and west to the badlands of the Dakotas and beyond.

His long-time love of fishing and the outdoors was culminated with a couple of trips to Massachusetts with Jennifer and her husband Skip. There on Cuttyhunk Island, Tom fished the ocean and fell in love with the many aspects of an ocean fishing life.  After being on Cuttyhunk, he seemed to bond with the island life style, and talked frequently of his adventures there, even while completely landlocked in Indiana. But that was part of the contradictions that were Thomas Howard Jett.

He always used his middle initial when signing his name….but for years would not tell those at church what it meant….

He would give every restaurant server as much trouble as he possible could (in his grumpy ol’ man jesting manner)….and then give them a huge tip that was assuredly the biggest they would get that day…

He would get after the poor driving of other motorists…but was the first one to stop and help push a car stuck in the snow….

He would tell you just how brainless you were….but then break his back to help you out…

He relished walking into church and hearing people call out “here comes trouble”…but always pretended to look behind him as if the real “trouble” was following behind…

He loved the process of making a deal (for a boat, a camper, a car, a gun….)… but as soon as he finished the deal, he was thinking about ways he could trade that item for something else…

He loved to go somewhere…but once he arrived he was almost always immediately ready to leave…

Loving father…tormentor of people…friend to kids everywhere…man who secretly filled the pockets of servers at Texas Roadhouse with peanut shells…church member who was steadfast in helping other church members in need…

The real Tom Jett was all of these and more…he was a complex bundle of contradictions that challenged and enriched us all.

Visitation will be held at Cornerstone Baptist Church 10701 E. 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46235 on Thursday, October 29, 2015 from 4-8 p.m. and Friday, October 30, 2015 from 10-11 with the funeral service starting at 11:00 a.m.