Kenneth M. Tewel Jr. MD

Kenneth M. Tewel Jr., M.D. (7/19/1942 -- 11/25/2024) November 24, 2024 was setting up to be a great day for Kenny Tewel. The Colts and the Lions were playing, and it was a beautiful day for a jog. "I love you," he said, as he headed out the door. On the trail, he met some lovely, Good Samaritans. He received compassionate medical care that would have made him very proud. It was his final run after a lifetime of great ones. The only thing that wasn’t perfect is how much we are all hurting — he never would have wanted us to hurt…ever. On a blind date, he met Brenda Montgomery and proposed quickly -- it was the fastest and best decision he ever made. He loved her deeply and expressed his love and concern for her until the very end. "Bee," as he affectionately called her, brought out the best in him. He was funnier and more confident in her presence and absolutely loved to hold her hand. Together, they reared two daughters (Annie and Meg) and along the way welcomed two sons-in-law (Jade and Ben) and four grandchildren (Sam, Jake, Charlie, and Henry). Our shared memories of finding Lowly Worm, Halloween pranks and his loud ill-timed laugh, mini golf, long jogs and precious time spent on a trout stream, his love of "the perfect" card, and his hysterically horrible performance on family game nights burn brightly right now. A smart, soft-spoken, humble, Hall of Fame athlete, he was a loyalist to Huntington High, Miami of Ohio, and the Indiana University School of Medicine. His parents (Ruth and Ken) and his alma maters built the foundation for a wonderful life spent in Huntington, Ludington, and Bloomington. He was an ophthalmologist who loved caring for patients and believed in the simple ideals of professionalism and altruism. That legacy endures in the patients he served and the people he taught and inspired. He was a loving son, brother-in-law, and uncle and a great big brother to Jim. The friendships he had were deep and meaningful -- "all substance, no flash.” We will see him in so many places -- in the kindness of others, in a good adventure, when monarch butterflies hatch and when trout rise, when the Tigers and Colts win, and on the shores of his favorite Michigan lakes and beautiful trout streams in Montana. If you wish to honor him, please give generously to a local organization that makes the world more beautiful. Max Ehrmann's Desiderata captures so much of him. As we mourn and celebrate, remember "it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

Tributes

Kenneth M. Tewel Jr. MD

July 19, 1942 - November 25, 2024