Thomas Kindred, 82, of Ocala, Florida, and formerly of Beason, Illinois, passed away Tuesday August 15th due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease
Tom was born on April 11, 1935 to Edward and Nellie Kindred of Beason Illinois. He was the second youngest of seven children. Tom attended the little Mt. Zion country school first grade through sixth grade. He would walk to school and start the fire in the wood stove to warm up the school house before the others arrived. Tom went to Beason grade school for 7th and 8th grade and then Beason high school where he played on the baseball team all four years and on the basketball team the first two years. He was raised and worked on the family farm, and was particularly successful raising and showing sheep on the Illinois Fair circuit. Tom was a member of FFA throughout high school and was on the stock judging team, served as Vice President and as a reporter.
Tom married Judith Anderson of Mt. Pulaski, Illinois on January 2, 1960. Tom and Judy set up house in Lincoln where Tom was a barber and Judy taught school. They had three children; Doug, Rodney, Debra, and later an adopted daughter, Debbie. Tom also served in the Army Reserves as a cook. His next career was in food service management and he held several positions throughout the Southern U.S. with ARA Services of Philadelphia, PA.
Tom raced quarter horses in South Alabama, North Florida, Mississippi, and Texas in the 1970s. He found the tack, horseshoes and equipment to be pricey and hard to find, so he started finding manufacturers, buying direct for his own use and to sell to the other horsemen.
Tom and Judy moved to Ocala, Florida in 1985 and started a successful race horse equipment business, T.T. Distributors Incorporated, selling racehorse tack and supplies, horseshoes, farrier supplies, supplements, and everything you need for your racehorse. He was also an avid sportsman, frequently traveling and enjoying pheasant, duck and goose hunting, deer, moose and elk hunting, and salmon and trout fishing. He is survived by his wife Judy, daughter Debra Barber, and son Doug Kindred, all of Ocala, FL, his son Rodney Kindred of Pipe Creek, Texas, adopted daughter Debbie Poiroux of Kirksey Kentucky, and his sisters Dorothy Gosda, Doris Reinhart, and Joanne Lee. Tom had nine grandchildren. Tom lived a full life; he will be greatly missed.
Graveside services for Thomas will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday September 30, 2017 at Steenbergen Cemetery in Mt. Pulaski, IL with Rev. Zoila Marty. Services entrusted to Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home in Mt. Pulaski, IL.
