Jonathan Drake Toumey

Jonathan Drake Toumey was born on August 27, 1955 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Dr. Fred L. Toumey and Doris Wheeler Toumey. The youngest of four boys, Jon grew up in a neighborhood filled with kids of all ages. He never lacked for friends or playmates and often recounted the “hinky dink” they got up to.

Jon graduated from School 70 where he was Traffic Boy of the Year. He claimed to have invented the backpack while in sixth grade by looping his belt through the handle of his briefcase. In his adult life, he started the School 70 Lunch Bunch with friends he knew from 70 and who, until this day, meet for a meal every month or so.

Jon attended Shortridge High School for two years and graduated from Park Tudor. Even though he wasn’t a graduate of Shortridge, he attended every reunion he could. He earned a degree in political science from Miami University (Ohio) in 1978 where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

It was at Miami that Jon met Alison Jester. They married in 1982, becoming a Miami Merger, a fact he liked to interject in conversation. (They received a Valentine every year from the university.) In 1990, the first of their four children was born and three more quickly followed. He loved being a father and, to give Alison “a day off,” devoted many Saturdays to activities with his kids like biking on the canal, swimming at the Rivi, and going to the Children’s Museum and the Indianapolis Zoo. He treated his kids to ice cream every Wednesday, which came to be known as WCW (Waffle Cone Wednesday) and dinner on Friday nights, known as TFRN (Toumey Family Restaurant Night). Both traditions are still going on today. He loved taking the family on vacations and to the Indiana State Fair. He spent hours cheering his kids on at swim, cross country, and track meets as well as at bike races, band concerts and scouting events. He was their biggest fan and never tired of telling his friends about them. He followed his own strong moral compass and did his best to have his children follow it as well. Once all his children had scattered, he urged them to move back to Indianapolis, missing them mightily. When they’d all left home, he suddenly recovered from his “allergy” to cats and welcomed first Tilly, then Charlotte, into the home.

Jon’s working life was spent in sales, in which he sold computers, software and storage options. Eventually he became a regional sales manager, resigning when travel kept him away from his family. As many of his co-workers would tell you, Jon served as a mentor, a sounding board and a friend.

In 1997, Jon contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) from which, after eight weeks, he recovered. His recovery was a testament to his determination, optimistic outlook and his will to be back with his family. In his spare time, Jon volunteered for the GBS-CIDP Foundation, serving as a point of contact for others diagnosed with GBS and visiting them in the hospital or in their homes.

He loved to ride his bicycle on the Monon and Fall Creek trails and rode in the Hilly Hundred no fewer than 25 times. He also loved to play tennis, taking clinics as often as he could, proclaiming, “There’s always room for improvement.”

Jon dubbed himself Mr. Indianapolis because he knew a lot about its history, especially that of his own neighborhood. He would give anyone who was captive in his car The Jon Toumey Memorial Tour which culminated at Park Tudor where a brick with his name is installed. One of his proudest claims was that he only lived outside his zip code for four years of his life.

Jon is survived by his wife of 39 years, Alison Jester; his children, Lillian (Nikhil Natarajan), Julian (Celia Ristow), Anneliese (Sridhar Bhagavathula), and Eliot (Britton Park); brothers David (Linda Runkle) and Stephen. His brother Richard preceded him in death.

Calling for Jon will be held on Friday, June 17, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Flanner Buchanan – Broad Ripple, 1305 Broad Ripple Avenue, Indianapolis 46250, with a Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 18th at 11:00 a.m. at the Riviera Club, 5640 N. Illinois Street, Indianapolis 46208.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jon’s name to the GBS-CIDP Foundation (375 East Elm Street, Suite 101, Conshohocken, PA 19428, www.gbs-cidp.org/donate) or Cancer Support Community (5150 West 71^st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46268, www.cancersupportindy.org).