Dr. Thomas Joe Hildebrand

Dr. Thomas Joe “Tom” Hildebrand, 62 of Monticello, Indiana and formerly of Seymour, passed away Friday, August 27, 2021. He was born in Seymour, Indiana, on February 12, 1959, the son of JoAnn (Christopher) Hildebrand and the late Marvin Ray Hildebrand. On December 16, 1989, he married Penelope “Penny” Brigham in Harvard, Massachusetts, and she survives.
Tom grew up on a farm in Seymour, Indiana, with his three siblings, Tony, David and Diane. After graduating from Seymour High School in 1977, Tom joined the US Army Special Forces. Tom trained to be a Special Forces medic and paramedic and was also a weapons expert, ski instructor, Army Ranger and much more. The Army wanted him to go to West Point, but Special Forces was where Tom wanted to be. Tom traveled the world on different Special Forces A Teams and served as a Team SGT for a detachment. Tom was stationed in Lebanon and Somalia. He helped Kurdish refugees escape danger over mountainous territory during Desert Storm in Iraq and ran a field hospital. A lot of what he did for our country is not known publicly or shareable. Tom completed his Associates Degree while serving in Iraq and was selected by his school to be included in that year’s Who’s Who in American College Students. His wife of almost 33 years, Penny, accepted his diploma because he was still deployed. In 1997, Tom and Penny traveled to Russia to adopt their son, Evan, whom he loved dearly. Tom was a Medical Officer for the Boy Scouts while Evan was in grade school. Tom went on to obtain a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University and served as a Hospice Volunteer while in school. He then studied medicine at the Charles University First Faculty of Medicine in Prague, Czech Republic for six years. His family was there with him in Prague. Tom spoke Czech and a couple of other languages. Next to Special Forces, Tom loved his job as the White County Veterans Service Officer, which he held for almost 10 years. He was dedicated to the military community and their families and initiated and championed several programs such as van transportation to get veterans to their medical appointments and he supported the PTSD program and held a Commanders Meeting for all the veterans clubs each month. Tom also helped organize Veterans Day and Memorial Day programs for the county and school system and promoted having a Veterans Court program in White County. Many of you reading this know first-hand how he helped veterans and families in need. Tom always went above and beyond to leave no veteran or their families behind. It has been said that Tom took care of his veterans before himself. Because of his dedication and medical background, Tom was very successful in helping veterans with their claims and medical issues. At the time of his death, Tom was the Mary T. Klinker, Chapter 27, Disabled American Veterans Commander and a member of many other veterans’ clubs including the Special Forces Association.
He is survived by his mother, JoAnn, his wife, Penny, one son, Evan Hildebrand, one brother, David (Cathy) Hildebrand; one sister, Diane Whiting; one nephew, Logan (Destinee) Whiting; five nieces, Kailee (Tim) Bowman, Rachel Hildebrand, McKenna Whiting, McKaia Whiting and Lori Hildebrand; four beloved dogs, Karma, Shelby, Jesse and Buddy; and several cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Marvin; one son, David Joseph Hildebrand; one brother, Tony Ray Hildebrand; and five beloved dogs, Heidi, Chuckles, Ranger, Sadie and Rocky.
Services will be conducted on Saturday, September 4, 2021, at 1:00 pm at St. Paul Lutheran Church - Borchers with burial to follow at St. Paul Lutheran Church Cemetery – Borchers in Seymour, Indiana with full military graveside rites conducted by VFW Post 1925, American Legion Post 89, Disabled Veterans 47, Korean & Vietnam Veterans, all of Seymour, Indiana. Visitation will be at the church on Saturday from 11 am until the time of the service. ***A gathering of family and friends will be held at a later date. *** Memorials may be made to the Courage Rock Stable in Monticello or the Mary T. Klinker Resource Center in care of Winklepleck & Brock Funeral Home, Brownstown, Indiana.
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https://www.pharostribune.com/news/article_cd26ca8c-09e5-11ec-8be5-a33697a28fab.html?fbclid=IwAR1gAyul8dYEukPWu19EXfG6GqoOzVYaZ8sK6HccxxK14ap_CWb2jLeVQ00
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