Thomas D. Teter
March 29th, 1933 - November 11th, 2016
On Thursday, November 11th, a beautiful white dove flew down from Heaven and escorted our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend for all eternity to live again in the presence of the ultimate Father. Immediate family members were present as Tom looked one last time directly into the eyes of Donna, his loving wife for 65 years, and shortly after drew his last earthly breath.
Thomas D. Teter, or affectionately known as Tom, was born March 29th, 1933 and raised in the farming community of Garnett, Kansas with his 8 brothers and sisters. After graduating from Garnett High School in 1950, he “hopped a truck” to LaPorte, Indiana and worked in the office of the Kingsbury Ordinance Plant. Shortly after, he met the love of his life, the former Donna Mayer and married in 1951 at St. Peters Catholic Church also in LaPorte. Theirs was a storybook marriage of love, family values, and genuine care for their community. On September 29th, 2016, Tom and Donna celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, with Donna quoted as saying “Daddy’s family was the most important thing in his life”.
Tom was an avid golfer, great bridge player with partner Donna, and enjoyed a good game of Gin with buddies. He was a member of LaPorte’s Beechwood Golf Club, Elks Golf Club, Pottawatomie Country Club (Michigan City, and St. Lucie PGA Country Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida where Tom & Donna owned a winter home.
Tom was a member of the Elks Country Lodge and presided twice as Exalted Ruler. Active in community service, he served as a member of the LaPorte Jaycees, being recognized with an Outstanding Internal Chair award, Jaycee Key Man winner, and recognized with the Jaycee’s 2nd highest honor as a Jaycee Senator. He also served on other community boards such as the LaPorte Parks & Recreation, Salvation Army, and was an active member of the LaPorte Chamber of Commerce. He felt it a privilege to sponsor local sports and invest in youth teams. As a member of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), he again exerted excellence in leadership and served twice as NTMA President. In 1975, Tom was the Republican mayoral candidate for the City of LaPorte.
In 1981, Tom bought Diamond Tool & Die from his father-in-law and re-named the growing business Teter Tool & Die where children Steve, Laurie, and Nancy all served at times alongside their dad. He also was the founder & sole owner of Teter Stamping, Teter Properties, founder and majority stockholder of TK Associates. During this time, his highest honor was being named as Indiana’s 1995 Small Business Person of the Year and was privileged to represent Indiana in Washington, DC for the national award. While there, Tom & Donna met the U.S. President, Vice President, Senators, White House Staff, and multiple other officials. Donna reflected about the wonderful time as they “had wonderful dinners together, formal banquets, and toured many historical places." On their return from Washington, Tom was selected as the Grand Parade Marshall for LaPorte's 1995 July 4th Parade as Laporte was "Indiana's Capitol for a day".
Tom is survived by his wife Donna and 3 children & Spouses, Steven (Donna) Teter, Nancy (Chad) Addie, Laurie (Bill) Arion, while oldest son Thomas W. Teter, Jr or “Tommy” passed away in Florida previously in 2014. Ten grandchildren include Tamara (Adam) Gilpin, Staci (Jeff) Olyphant, Linda (John) Goodman, Kristen Kubit, LeAnna (Brandon) Elkins, Kyle Schweder, Lindsey (Rob) McCallum, Christina (Nathan) Hammerberg, Caleb (Kyla) Addie, Hannah (Kevin) Sommer. 2 great grandchildren include Isaac (mom LeAnna) aged 6 who referred to Tom as “grampie or his 'playtoy' because of the unique love and joy they had for one another” and his newest “little girl” Blaise (mom Kristen). Also surviving are his much loved three siblings Phyllis, Mavis, and Norman. Preceding him in death are: son, Thomas W. Teter, parents Tom & Anna Teter and 5 siblings Velva, Dorothy, Betty, Larry, and Nadine. Donna commented "I feel so blessed with the large family we have, with our many nephews, nieces, and cousins who loved us over the years".
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 11 am on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center.
A time of visitation will be held from 4 - 8 pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 and from 10 am until the time of service at the funeral home. Interment will take place at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be directed to: Mrs. Donna Teter
Condolences be shared with the family online at www.cutlerfuneralhome.com.