Jack “Timothy” Cole

Tim Cole: Local Historian Passes

Jack “Timothy” Cole was born on April 15, 1939, in Porter CountyIndiana and is the only child from the marriage between Catherine (Garrett) Bayless and Jack Cole.  The irony is not lost on those of us who knew Tim best that he was born on the day taxes are due.  Tim is the eldest child of Catherine’s six children.  He adored all his siblings born to Catherine and Benjamin Bayless, and their spouses; Barbara (David) Quinlan, Linda (Paul) Dipiazza, Benjamin (Nina) Bayless, Rodney (Gaye) Bayless and Mary Jane (Darrin) Williams. 

Tim’s grandparents, Valentine and Loretta (Brown) Cole, refused to allow him to leave their home following Jack and Catherine’s separation.  As such, he was raised on property that has been, and continues to be, in the Cole family since settling here in 1835. He was raised with beloved uncles Lee and Don Cole. 

Tim graduated from Liberty High School in 1957 with Salutatorianhonors.  He attended and graduated from Purdue University West Lafayette with a double major in English and Math where he met lifelong friends Bill Breining (aka “The Hawk”) and Dennis Sorge (aka “The Count”) and embarked on many journeys’ resulting in more stories than we have time to share or that may not be appropriate for all readers.

As a local, Tim frequented all the hot spots including the infamous Big Wheel restaurant in Valparaiso where he met his better half of 52 years, Elaine (Toensing) Cole.  Elaine was attending Valparaiso University studying to become a Dietician and waitressing at the Big Wheel when she caught Tim’s eye.  After a whirlwind romance, he proposed over the counter during the lunch rush.  Tim and Elaine married on June 5, 1970, in a small ceremony at the Sky Chapel First United Methodist Church downtown Chicago, IL with the Schroeder’s, the owners of the Big Wheel, as their witnesses.

Together, Tim and Elaine raised daughters Rebecca Leone and WendalynJennifer on another parcel of family property in a 900 square foot Sears kit home originally built and lived in by his father and stepmother, Jack and Ruth Cole, after they both returned from serving in WWII. Despite full schedules with both Tim and Elaine’s careers, they attended many softball games, basketball games, and concerts.  They ensured the girls had well rounded experiences participating in 4-H activities including photography, bee keeping, and raising rabbits among many other hobbies. With a “themore the merrier” grace, many kids slept over and adventures were had in their humble home. 

After suffering through several heartbreaks, the girls endured or imposed, both daughters married and had families of their own.  Becky and David Crum married on September 11, 1999, and welcomed twin sons, Gavin Michael, and Tyler James, on February 9, 2005. Wendy and James Kirpanos married May 24, 1998, and welcomed daughters: Zoe June on January 8, 2004, Onora June on February 2, 2006, and Gabrielle June on April 8, 2013.  Tim and Elaine, as doting grandparents to all five of their grandchildren, again began attending many baseball games, orchestra and band concerts, plays, and many other events. 

Following his graduation from Purdue University, Tim taught English at both Boone Grove and Lake Central schools. The majority of Tim’s careerwas spent working as an Operations Research Engineer at Bethlehem Steel where he retired after more than thirty years. Tim continued to work beyond retirement as a Seed Corn Inspector for Monsanto and Purdue.  He also transported cars and car parts for Kennedy Mazda in Valparaiso and was actively working for them at the time of his passing.  

The life of a dabbler and wanderer, Tim had many interests and explored most of them although he would say there were many he didn’t get the opportunity to explore at all or to the degree he would have liked. A night owl, you would catch him up late at night, often not sleeping at all only to need a catnap later the next day.  To him, sleeping was a waste of time as there was much to do, learn, teach, and explore! Spreading himself too thin, with so many interests, he would often start then leave projects unfinished much to the frustration of others. 

Family and friends were of utmost importance to Tim.  He and his wife hosted the Cole Family reunion at the homestead for over twenty years and held an annual hayride for just as long.  He spent most of his life researching genealogy and the family lineage.  He started but did not finish, and has not updated true to character, a family website where he began providing historical family information dating back to the 1600’s. As the Cole family once owned so much property, an old Porter County map had designated the parcel owned as “Coles Corner.” The aptly named family website is www.colescorner.com.  As a result of his genealogy research, he has provided valuable historical information to the Westchester Township History Museum located in the Brown Mansion, a former family home as his grandmother was Loretta (Brown) Cole. 

Tim loved art, music, and literature. He was an annual subscriber and member to The Chicago Art Institute, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago WTTW Public Television, Concert Association of Valparaiso, among many others.  He frequently went into the city to attend concerts, visit the museums, or just walk around and enjoy the historical architecture and beauty Chicago offered. Tim played the clarinet, although it was his piano playing for which he was most known and often earned him invitations to many events and parties.  He was an amateur photographer and was often seen carrying his camera everywhere.  He also had the pleasure of photographing many weddings and events. His basement was once turned into a dark room for developing his own photos. 

Tim was an avid reader and book lover. At one point, he purchased a stamp to personalize the front cover of each book owned with the insignia, “From the library of J. Timothy Cole.” He subscribed to many magazines over the years but some of his favorites included The National Geographic, Scientific American, Astronomy, Architectural Digest, Smithsonian, The New Yorker, The Times, Poplar Word Working, and many on cooking, baking, or canning. God save the soul who tossed a magazine into the trash as he may want to reread it again later. 

In addition to the love of a good book, he was also a writer and has self-published several short stories in the book “A Year’s Worth, an anthology of fiction.”  Along with other writers from the Blank Slate Writers Group, there is also a self-published book entitled “Midnight Oil” with another of his short stories. A book of poetry written by his uncle, “The selected Poetry of Frederick Hayes Cole” was also published.  All of these are available for purchase online.

A lover of nature, Tim enjoyed hiking, gardening, bird watching, bee keeping and tending his yard.  In his younger years, Tim had several beehives and made honey.  He had also previously tapped the maple trees on the family property and made maple syrup.  He loved animals and owned many pets over the years including, a plethora of cats and dogs, domesticated birds, chickens, ducks, and a single peacock. He built a barn to house beloved family horses, Jake and Billy, and a billygoat named Moe. To the frustration of son-in-law, David, Tim would refuse to cut the grass too short, cut down a tree, or cut up a downed tree as they were safe havens for critters and creatures.

Tim was a gadget guy and enjoyed all things tech. He had one of the first home computers ever made, the Commodore 64. He jumped on the internet tying up phone lines for hours when it first became available to the frustration of his daughters who just wanted to call their boyfriends.He always carried a palm pilot until smart phones were developed and had to have the newest iPhone version available upgrading every year. Before computers, he always carried mechanical pencils, refillable ink pens, and a scientific calculator in his shirt pocket.  No pocket protectors were used so many of his shirts were inevitably ink stained.  

Unable to serve in the military due to poor eyesight, Tim served his community instead. As a member of the Republican party, he volunteered to work the polls for every election, was an elected Liberty Township board member, and served on the Porter County Plan Commission. Over his lifetime, he participated in several committees and served on many boards with the objective of protecting and preserving natural habitats, and historical landmarks. He lobbied for bike trails, sidewalks, and parks to bring the community together. Tim wrote many letters to the editors of both the Chesterton Tribune and the former Vidette Messenger voicing his strong opinions in attempt to sway others to his point of view and get more people involved with varying causes.

The many organizations to which Tim volunteered his time and supported include the Westchester Bird Sanctuary, Porter County Parks Foundation, Duneland Historical Society, Westchester Township History Museum at Brown Mansion, Porter County Museum, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Izaak Walton League, United Way of Porter County, Lion’s Club, The Chesterton Art Gallery and many more that we are most certainly failing to mention. 

With a genius level IQ, Tim is the most intelligent and well-read man most of us will ever have the pleasure of knowing yet was one of the humblest. A proper gentleman, he thought the use of swear words was vulgar and for the uneducated as they lacked the vocabulary to adequately express themselves. Although he would occasionally use a couple select words, he would often simply say “Oh Golly.” He would often greet many with a resounding, “Hiya” or “Howdy.” A wearer of canvas shoes and bowties in between time periods when they were popular, he was a “neat” guy to know.  As Albert Einstein said, “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value,” he lived his life serving his God, family and community. 

Tim passed away on the first day of Fall, September 22, 2022, at approximately 2 PM. He passed peacefully at home with his favorite classical radio station playing in a room overlooking the yard he tended for so many years and busy bird feeders within his eyesight. 

Tim is survived by his loving wife, Elaine, daughters Becky and Wendy, his grandchildren, Gavin, Tyler, Zoe, Onora, and Gabrielle.  He is also survived by his mother, Catherine, who is 100 years young, his five siblings, Barb, Linda, Ben, Rod, and Mary Jane, Uncle Chuck Garrett, and many cousins, nieces and nephews he adored.   He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Loretta and Valentine, his father and stepmother, Jack and Ruth, stepfather Benjamin, special uncles Lee and Don, a very special nephew, Matthew Quinlan and many other family members and friends. 

We will celebrate his life on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at Sunset Hill Farm in the Horton Family Children’s Education Center at 775 Meridian Rd, Valparaiso, IN 46385 between 2 – 8 PM for food, stories, music, a hayride and walks through the nature trails. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the VNA Hospice in memory of Jack Timothy Cole at 501 N Marquette Street, Valparaiso, IN 46383.  The VNA made it possible for Tim to pass in the comfort of his home.  Donations are also welcomed at all the other organizations Tim supported and mentioned within. 

Until we meet again, Tim. We “Love you bunches!” 

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