Thomas Harry Kemp

Thomas Harry Kemp, 91, of Fishers, Indiana, passed away January 11, 2024.

He was born September 6th, 1932 in Indianapolis, IN, to the late Harry Laughlin Kemp and Bessie St. Clair (Northcott) Kemp.

Tom attended grade schools 44 & 32, before graduating from Shortridge High School in 1950.  During these years, Tom regularly visited his maternal grandparents in Lafayette, Indiana, Thomas and Ethel Northcott, and where he would meet his life-long best friend, Andy Brooks.  Tom had endless, hilarious stories about he and Andy, and the goofy things they did together.

When Tom was 16, he bought his first car for $60, a 1934 Ford coupe with a rumble seat.

In 1951, Tom would meet Suzanne Whaley, both working at the Western Electric plant on north Shadeland Avenue in Indianapolis, and in 1952 they wed.  Later that year, Tom was drafted in the Korean War, and was stationed near Bupyeong.  Tom proved to be an accomplished sharpshooter with his assigned Browning automatic rifle, which he took with him while he and a friend hitchhiked to Seoul.

When Tom returned from the war, he and Suzanne moved to Lafayette, where he took a Purchasing Agent job at Ross Gear (ZF).  In 1961, he went into business for himself as a manufacturer's representative.  Tom was highly respected in industry as a knowledgeable problem-solver, and enjoyed many years of success in sales.

Tom was an accomplished commercial pilot, and flew his Beechcraft Bonanza all over the U.S., and even once to the Cayman Islands.

Tom was preceded in death by his wife Carol (Nuss) Kemp, his second wife Madelyn (Asbury) Kemp, his first wife, Suzanne (Whaley) Kemp Branham, and his daughter-in-law Tammy (Talbert) Kemp.  Tom is survived by his three sons, Jeffrey Alan Kemp, Gary David Kemp (Lidia), and Mark Steven Kemp (Tracy), as well as seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Services are private, and entrusted to Eskew-Eaton Funeral Home in Edinburgh.