Thomas Garold Hettig, 74, of Marion, Indiana, passed away peacefully at home in Hospice Care on April 18, 2021. Cremation will take place.
Tom was born March 18, 1947 in Benton Harbor, Michigan to Darwin and Jean (Prillwitz) Hettig. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Benton Harbor. He graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1965, and then entered the United States Navy for a two-year tour.
Tom worked on the family farm in Coloma, Michigan and for Auto Specialties in St. Joseph, Michigan, but his real calling was as an entrepreneur, of which he was a natural. Over his lifetime he successfully owned and managed a donut shop, hotels, Bahr Brothers in Marion, Indiana, gas stations, and Waylon’s in Marion, Indiana.
Tom married his loving wife, Peggy Herring, on June 6, 1998. Together they have run Waylon’s and enjoyed spending their non-working hours on their boat on Lake Michigan. Tom was an avid college sports fan, with the Michigan Wolverines being his number one college team. The Cubbies were his top professional sports team. Being at Waylon’s was never a job, just time spent enjoying sports alongside his Waylon’s family. Tom very much enjoyed his time spent on Lake Michigan fishing or just socializing with his Michigan friends. Tom owned numerous fishing boats, but his pride and joy was “BITE ME”. Having been the Captain of all these watercrafts, Tom’s favorite saying was always, “Captain Tom – always right, never wrong”.
Tom is survived by his devoted wife, Peggy, of 22 years; daughter, Laci (Cory) Charette of Indiana; stepdaughter, Kelli (Eric) Fields of Indiana; sisters, Marjorie (Bill) Utley of Arkansas and Jennifer (Joe) Soucek of Colorado; niece, Shelby (David) Gregg; nephew, Bradley Soucek; mother-in-law, Nancy (Don) Huff; and father-in-law, Ron (Bobbie) Herring.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Darwin and Jean Hettig; sister, Lynn Current; and niece, Laurie Ann Troup.
Peggy would like to thank Jim Cramer and Heart to Heart Hospice for their time, help and support.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Marion-Grant County Humane Society, 505 S. Miller Avenue, Marion, Indiana 46953.
A Memorial Service will be held at Grace Community Church, in Marion, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 starting with a visitation at 2 p.m. and service at 3 p.m. A Celebration of Tom’s life will be held at Waylon’s following the Memorial Service.
Arrangements are entrusted to Raven-Choate Funeral Home, 1202 W. Kem Road, Marion, Indiana.
Online condolences may be shared at www.ravenchoate.com
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