Immediate Family

I was lucky to have been raised by two wonderful parents. My Mom and Dad supported me in nearly everything I ever went after in my life. Loving and understanding both my Mom and Dad were always there for me as a child.

My Father

Lindy L Throgmartin I

My father, Lindy ( named after Charles Lindbergh ) was the patriarch of my family. He ruled the roost and steered the family to a constant flux of closeness. respect for one another and a family bond that would last forever. As I got older my Father and I formed a father son bond that was truly amazing. While he was my father, he was also my best friend. We laughed together, cried together, watched sports together, golfed together and fished our hearts out. My mind is filled with the many hilarious and happy moments I had with my Father. Rarely a week goes by that I do not drift back in time and relive some of those happy moments we had together. Going to football games, playing pool, fishing out on the lake together alone and constantly antagonizing each other the whole time we were on the water. As I have told many people, there wasn't a greater man then my Dad and the respect I had for him ( and still do even after his death ) is all consuming. Always gracious, honest, thankful, humorous, ethical and moral I learned all about life through this man. His death in 1992 I thought would be the end of my own life. I just felt I could never carry on without him because he had been such a huge part of my life. But a sudden strength came over me and I knew he had left me behind with the strength, wisdom and courage to carry on in life and make my mark. While he maybe gone, he will always remain the catalyst within me that helps me face my challenges head on, fight my battles with remarkable courage and to live life to its fullest while trying to be the best person I can become. Thanks Dad for everything you ever done for me but more importantly, thanks for being my number one hero in life.

 

My Mom

Betty Anne Throgmartin

When we moved to Tennessee we moved my Mom down with us. She wanted to be close to me during my battles with my disease and proved to be a tremendous help. She cooked our meals and brought them over for us during my chemo treatments because I couldn't stand the smell of food being cooked in our home. She went to Doctor's appointments with me and was always there if I was hospitalized or needed treatment. That's the kind of Mom I have had my entire life, always there for me whenever I needed her. She was never a social butterfly and had a very limited circle of friends. Her entire focus was always on her family. The fun things she did for us when I was young, baking treats, cooking special dinners, making costumes, attending all of our functions and just being there was what her entire life consisted of. It wasn't about her, it was about family and the kids.

In 2005 she moved back to Michigan when her own health deteriorated. She needed a dependable person close by to look after her and due to my health at the time I myself was needing care. She moved to Eaton Rapids where my older brother Dave and his wife Bev took over and looked after her.  After her move she became ill herself, her complications got worse and suffered several strokes. At the same time she also developed Leukemia. Since then she has battled her problems well and continues to try and do whatever she can for the family. I couldn't have asked for a better Mom. She was there to help me fight my battles and throughout her life she sacrificed for the entire family. I will always have fond memories of my Mom and the special relationship we always had. I am proud she is my Mom and we still talk on the phone all the time. She will always be a part of my life regardless of where either of us are located. Thank's Mom for being one of the best Mom's a kid could ever ask for.

My Brother

Dave Louden

I am sure many of you read that last name of my brothers and said.... wait, his name isn't the same its not Throgmartin. The reason being is he is my Mom's first born from a previous marriage. But the name was the only thing that ever separated us as kids. Dave was there when I was born and was there till he graduated from high school, got married and moved out. Because we were raised in the same household I never knew him as anything different. He was always " my older brother ". My father treated him as his own as well and never once referred to him as his step son and refused to allow anyone else to make a distinction between the two of us. So I really didn't know any different. I don't think Dave does either. We were brothers and that was it.

Growing up there was a large age difference between us so he was always my babysitter. But he looked after me well and always included me in so many of his activities. In our adult life Dave and I seemed to follow one another on the same career path. I went to work for the Board of Water & Light and a year later, he did as well. I transferred into the power plants and he did as well. I transferred to another power plant and he did also. Then we split and he found his true calling as a mechanic and I as a corporate person. For allot of our careers though we seemed to always be working with or around each other. Outside of work, the same can be said. This goes back to my childhood where Dave loved music and played in a rock band. When I was older I did the same. He had a love for fast cars ( muscle cars ) and when I was able to drive, I did also. As adults we both loved racing and while we both pursued different hobbies, we still seemed to share the bond of music, cars and racing.

He has been there for me in the past and has always remained close to me. We still talk once a week and laugh as we both share the same warped sense of humor. Our personalities are completely different from one another as is our talents. I had a talent for business and anything corporate while he had an immense talent for anything mechanical. There is very little that exists in the machine/mechanical world that he cannot figure out or fix. Myself, I always hated machinery and working on cars, but it's been his life and still is today. Vice Versa, he never cared for business or anything corporate so our two talents and pursuits in life seemed to compliment each other.

While our last names remain different, we still share the same common bond that all brothers share. I have never considered the name difference as anything but a legality and I am sure he felt the same way. We still treat each other as brothers and always will. :)

My Younger Brother

William A Throgmartin IV

" Billy "

I seem to always become saddened whenever I think of Billy. My Mom and Dad had Billy in 1963 and during our childhood, we fought like cats and dogs. I think back to our younger years and sometimes laugh over some of the crazy stuff we did. Billy and I were never close when we were young, but that all seemed to change when I became older. I started forming a close bond to him and we started to do things outside the family together. We hunted together and shared a love of the outdoors. We also shared a passion for dirt bikes and we also loved music.

Someone once asked me what kind of kid he was. I didn't have a problem explaining just what his personality was like. He was a great deal like my Dad. Humorous, intelligent, loyal, moral and he had a very kind spirit about him. He had a way with people that is hard to describe, but people who knew him trusted him. His demeanor was soft and caring yet he also could handle himself well if kids picked a fight with him. His heart seemed to melt whenever he was around his nephews. I can still remember him going to the hospital on his own and going up and holding Lindy when he was a baby and was ill. He rocked him in a rocker and had such a gentle calm about him during that time.

Sadly, Billy was the victim of a horrible gun accident that took place at the stoke of midnight on New Years Eve 1980. A kid playing with a loaded rifle pulled the trigger because he thought the gun was unloaded and the bullet struck the base of his brain stem. Billy was dead before he hit the floor. I still remember sitting in the hospital with him while he was on life support watching his life slip away. It was one of the hardest and worst decisions I ever had to make to have the neuro surgeon disconnect him and let him die in peace. To this day I am still haunted by that moment and I still have raging nightmares over the event.

I try and place all the bad that happened behind me and move forward with the wonderful memories I had of Billy. The times we went hunting together and the hilarious moments we shared. The times we were alone and just talked about life in general. I often wonder just what would his life be like today if he had lived, but sometimes its shear torture to think about it. But whenever I do I know in my heart that he would have become something that my Dad, my Grandfather and my Uncles all became, a true Throgmartin that cut a clear path through life.

There is no doubt he would have been one of the best and with his gentle soul he would have been a great brother to have in my later years. I still think of him and I still miss him. May God Bless your precious soul Billy.......Someday we will be together again and pick up where we left off. Laughing and smiling together.

Photos From the Past

My Dad at the age of 2 My Dad at the age of 5
My Dad at the Age of 11 My Mom and Dad
My Mom and Dad after their Wedding My Mom and Dale Earnhardt
Four generations of Throgmartins Billy
Chris & Dave at the Races Dave & Bev at Holston Dam in TN
Dave, Bev and their Grandaughter Arianna Jake my nephew inside his race car before qualifying
My Nephew Nate with his dog Snoop Right where my brother Dave loves to be. Under a car hard at work.