Thomas Binder

Thomas Gregory “Greg” Binder, devoted husband and father, passed away August 3, 2018.  Greg was born March 12, 1931, in Burlington, Iowa, the son of Harry Anton Binder and Mary Alice Finnegan. On June 21, 1952, he married Delores Ann Harvey, who survives.

Most of Greg’s friends are gone now, but if they were here they would be surprised to see that he had lived so long.  He had a Tom Sawyer-like youth, somehow making it through one brush with danger after another. By the time he was 25 he had been in a cave in while digging into the side of a hill; he’d nearly drowned when he was thrown into Horney Creek before he could swim; “for some reason” as he put it, he’d tried to swim across the Eel River at flood stage, got swept downstream and caught a passing log occupied by a large water moccasin; tried smoking at age 10, had fallen through the ice numerous times, found 2 dead bodies; been in a near-fatal car crash; had broken his nose; and blown a toilet to bits with a cherry bomb. His grandfather would joke that Greg would make a fine man someday, if he didn’t end up in jail first.

Greg didn’t enjoy book learning.  His elementary school was straight across the river from where he lived, so he sometimes took a shortcut through the river to get there and back instead of going the long way around over the 3rd Street bridge.  Sometimes he didn’t make it to school at all, and the nuns despaired that he would ever amount to anything. Fortunately, Greg had other talents--he could fix, jury-rig, or build just about anything and was a talented athlete.

He was on the first LHS swim team, winning medals in both racing and diving, and worked as a lifeguard in the summer. He enjoyed swimming all his life and could still do handstands and flips on the high dive when he was in his sixties.  Many times he brought struggling swimmers to safety at Millions and Kenneth.

Family and golf were Greg’s passions. Greg was a strong, active man all his life, but he was also very loving and gentle—crying babies instinctively quieted when he held them.  He loved being a father and made his children a priority--he always said that raising his children was the best time of his life. He was a wonderful grandfather as well--when he was in his seventies he demonstrated to his grandchildren how to go faster down a steep hill.  He DID go faster, so fast he went clear on past the sledding area, over an embankment and went airborne, breaking three ribs when he landed. He was very insulted when the doctor suggested that he might be too old to go sledding.

Greg was an avid golfer. He had a tee shot that was a thing of beauty.  When he was young he was a caddy and traveled around the state to play in tournaments.  He lettered in golf at LHS, won several tournaments at the Country Club and Dykeman over the years, and scored three holes in one.

Greg adored Delores, his wife of 66 years.  He would pull her senior picture out of his wallet and say, “Prettiest girl at Logansport High School.”  He wasn’t much of a talker though. Delores always said that he talked more in the year they were dating than in all their years of marriage put together. They liked to golf and dance and play cards.  When his health failed, Delores devoted herself to his care and was at his side when he passed away.

Greg graduated from Logansport High School in 1949.  He worked for over 25 years at RBM/Essex International, was a longtime member of the local Elks Club, served many times as a local precinct committeeman, and was an officer in the Heavy Tank Company of the National Guard for several years.

Greg is survived by his wife, Delores; his three children, Lisa Powell, of Traverse City, Michigan, Lance (Cathy) Binder, of Dallas, Texas, and Lori (John) Maloy, of Aspen, Colorado;  four grandchildren, Andy Powell and Betsy (Rob Nendorf) Powell of Chicago, Megan Maloy-Shepley (Brett) of Aspen, and Alexandra Binder of Dallas; two great-grandchildren, Rosie and Liam Nendorf, of Chicago, and a Maloy-Shepley great-grandson expected in November; two sisters, Susie Frey, of Bloomington, and Diane (Roger) Crim, of Noblesville. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews and their children.

The family would like to thank the kind and caring people at Guardian Angel Hospice for their help during his final illness.  They’d also like to thank special neighbors Greg and Sherry VanSoest, and Jerry and Vasta Budreau for their help as Greg’s health declined.

Funeral arrangements are being made by Gundrum Funeral Home.  A private family ceremony is planned, and the family requests no flowers. Memorials may be made to the Cass County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 441, Logansport, IN 46947, or to the charity of your choice.