Robert Trent Tirsway

 

Trent was born to Norman Shelton Tirsway and Madonna Orr Tirsway on October 10, 1952 in Indianapolis, IN where he lived until the age of 13, when his family moved to Greencastle. He used to share stories of working at the Satellite, a “hamburger joint”, in Greencastle during his high school years and he sometimes worked as DJ at the local radio station as well as writing articles for the local paper and his high school newspaper. After graduation from Greencastle High School, he attended Wittenberg University in Ohio where he studied Business, earning his BA in 1976. 

He worked with Firestone in Springfield, Ohio for a time before returning to Indianapolis, where he and his father owned and operated the Minuteman Press and Print shop for several years. He later worked for LS Ayers as Manager of Accounts Payable. He became fascinated with the emerging computer technology and was employed with Association Computer Services in Indianapolis while being a loving father to Tamie and Steven, his two oldest children. He met Susan Overall, the woman he called his star lady and the true love of his life, on a blind date in Tennessee. They married in 1991 and created a family with Tamie and Steven and later with youngest daughter, Sara. Susan later encouraged Trent to start his own business, and he started ABT Computer Services with two partners. Though the partners eventually left the business, Trent successfully managed ABT for over 20 years. He truly enjoyed the challenges. He did it all, from running network cables to building servers and resolving hardware and software issues. The tougher and more challenging the problem, the more he relished finding a resolution. 

He was a highly intelligent man of strong opinions, yet he was always willing to listen to the ideas of others and took pleasure in a good debate. He valued honesty, loyalty and integrity. He had a dry sense of humor and a great passion for music.  He had an encyclopedic knowledge of rock music, and it was rare that he couldn’t name the artist of a song. He was a Colts fan and had season tickets during the height of the glory years with Peyton Manning. He enjoyed reading, good conversation, listening to music and spending time with his family. He had difficulty denying his wife anything and delighted in surprising her with gifts. While he could be a disciplinarian, his children always knew they were loved and knew they could come to him with any questions. He unflinchingly and honestly answered any questions his children put to him, which sometimes led to some truly amusing conversations.  His oldest daughter, Tamie remembers father/daughter dates, long evening talks and she remembers him as her soft place to land. Steven remembers when he was very small, and he was struggling to walk against a strong wind and “Dad swooped in like a hero and picked me up and carried me inside.” His youngest daughter, Sara remembers their daddy/daughter trips to Pizza King and the playground and dancing before bedtime and later, his unending patience and sense of humor as he taught her the finer points of being a good driver. 

He was preceded in death by his parents.  He is lovingly survived by Susan, his wife of 31 years, his children Tamie (Rob) Caulk, Steven (Amy) Tirsway, and Sara Tirsway, all of Indianapolis. He also leaves to mourn his loss 5 grandchildren Ally, Jax, Karlee, Tyde and Isla, and his sister, Terri (Brian) Sanders in addition to nieces and nephews and loving sisters and brothers in law. We celebrate and remember him as a loving husband, father, and friend. 

The family give heartfelt thanks to Promedica/Heartland Hospice, most notably to Ellen and Alex, and to Hosana Home Helpers for their tender and compassionate care of not only Trent, but Susan as well. 

Memorial visitation is Sunday, February 5, 2023 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm at Indiana Funeral Care, Greenwood Chapel.

Memorial service will begin at 3:00 pm.