Thomas Wayne Vanderbur was born July 16, 1951 in Greensburg, Indiana the second son of Myron Wayne and Kathleen Marie (Pritchett) Vanderbur. His parents made their home on a farm in Westport, Indiana owned by his paternal grandparents. When he was 10 years old, the family moved to Anderson, Indiana where he attended St. Mary’s Parochial School and Anderson High School from which he graduated with the class of 1969. He earned his BS in Business Administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1973. After college, he lived in Muncie for 15 years. He worked as a salesman, first for WESCO in Muncie and then Lester Sales in Indy, selling large electrical power supply equipment until his disability forced him to retire at the age of 43. He married his wife Dawn in 1976 and had one daughter, Megan Kathleen. He has been a resident of Marion County since 1988. He first exhibited symptoms of multiple sclerosis when he was 19 years old. One morning during spring break of his sophomore year in college, he awoke one to the find the entire right side of his body numb and immobile. Since his parents were away on vacation, he somehow managed to drive himself to the doctor. He was hospitalized for several weeks as the doctors struggled to diagnose the cause of his disability. Over time and with physical therapy, he regained most of the use of his right side and the doctors settled on a diagnosis of stroke. Since he was naturally right-handed, he taught himself to write with his left hand and returned to college to finish his degree. He decided at this time to start spelling his name as Thom, to signify what he felt was a second chance or new beginning for him. In 1978, his mother became ill and his father was struggling to care for his mother and manage his business. Thom decided to leave his job at WESCO and work with his father to help out until his dad could manage on his own. Doctors struggled to diagnosis the cause of his mother’s growing illness until she visited the Cleveland Clinic where they found she had an inoperable brain tumor. The stress of his mother’s illness was enough to cause a mild flare up of the multiple sclerosis and Thom decided to visit the Cleveland Clinic in the spring of 1983 after his mother passed away. As they did with his mother, the doctors at Cleveland were quickly able to identify the cause for his symptoms. There was some comfort in knowing a definite name for what was wrong however uncertain it made the future. As it became more difficult to walk, Thom left his dad’s business and got a desk job with Lester Sales. Thom worked way beyond the point that most people would have without complaint. He loved his job and the interaction with his customers. Only after he began to lose the use of both his hands was he forced to leave his job. He became a “stay at home” dad, cheering and supporting his daughter through those difficult teenage years. Thom loved sports. He was an ardent fan of college basketball, especially the Indiana University Men’s basketball team. One of his most prized possessions is a basketball autographed by former Indiana basketball coach, Bob Knight. He was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and followed the Indianapolis Colts football team and college football. He loved to watch any kind of sports on television – football, baseball, golf, tennis, women’s softball, the Little League World Series, Olympic competitions of all types and of course, college basketball. “March Madness” was his favorite time of year. He was also a big fan of “classic” movies and reading about military history. His all-time favorite movie was Lawrence of Arabia. Rare was the movie about World War II that he hadn’t seen. He also loved the comedy of The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and Mel Brooks. The sillier the better. No matter how many times he watched them, he always laughed. He loved to laugh and always loved a good joke. Thom loved having a pet. Rare was the time in his life that he didn’t have a dog or cat in his life. Even growing up on the farm, he bonded with the “working” dogs or barn cats. More than once has he befriended a homeless animal. The first question of his wife during his last hospital stay was often how the dog was doing. Unfortunately, Thom’s MS was always one step beyond the growing therapies for Multiple Sclerosis. However, he was encouraged by each advancement in the treatment of the disease that benefited others and never quit hoping for a cure – if not for him, at least for the future of others. He was never bitter or complaining. To say he was easy going is an understatement. He was an inspiration to those who knew him with the grace and resiliency he bore his condition all through his life. He rarely had an unkind word to say about anyone he knew and was always appreciative of every kindness or care given to him. He was a loving and attentive husband, an adoring and supportive father, and a loyal and faithful son and brother. He was a hero in the eyes of his wife, daughter and older brother. He is survived by his wife of 45 years Dawn (Farlow) Vanderbur, his daughter Megan Ruddie (Elliot), his brother Steven Vanderbur (Sharon), his nephew Eric Vanderbur and numerous extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents Myron and Kathleen Vanderbur. In lieu of flowers the family is requesting memorial contributions to made to the Indiana Humane Society https://ihm.matchbookstaging.com/about/ways-to-give/