Timothy A. Sturm
February 27, 1966 ~ February 7, 2022
Timothy Sturm, 55, left this earthly existence on February 7, 2022, surrounded by his family, after managing life with progressing colon cancer for six years. Tim grew up in Dana, Indiana, and graduated from South Vermillion High School prior to earning an industrial engineering degree at Purdue University. Ten years into his career, he completed his MBA at Emory University before relocating to London, England.
Tim was always at his best while traveling and took pride in the diversity of experiences that he, Beth, Edward and Claire gained on the road. Some of his most memorable experiences include enjoying a freshly-rolled cigar in the Cuban countryside, walking the Medinas of Fes, Morocco until late in the night, diving in piranha-infested waters in the Amazon, riding a camel in the Sahara desert at sunrise, and swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands.
Tim loved the outdoors and could be convinced to do almost anything in the mountains. This led him to various self-challenging endeavors including summiting Mt. Rainier right after completing six months of chemotherapy, winning the 205 mile Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay with a team of 9 in the 12-person team category, qualifying for Boston with a 3:19.53 marathon, and visiting all 50 States. He also remained intensely curious, practicing the art of tsundoku and appreciating a wide variety of musical genres. He enjoyed supporting local businesses and organizations and was particularly proud of his time on the Board of Music Theatre Wichita.
Tim was preceded in death by his parents, Malcolm and Sheila (Reiff) Sturm. He is survived by his wife, Beth; son, Edward; and daughter, Claire. Also surviving are his brother, David Sturm (Sheila); and sister and brother-in-law, Beth and Terry Ruppe; niece, Mary Beth Gertsberg (Dan); and nephew, Tim Ruppe (Tessa Bonney).
The service will be held at College Hill United Methodist Church, Wichita, KS, at 10:30am on Saturday, February 12, 2022. A visitation with the family will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Music Theatre Wichita, 225 W Douglas Ave. #202, Wichita, KS 67202; or the Ernie Pyle WWII Museum, 120 W Briarwood Ave, Dana, Indiana 47847. Tim also encourages you to speak to your doctor about scheduling regular screenings for colon cancer.
Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.
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Beth, Edward and Claire — Deborah and I are saddened by your loss and send our sincerest condolences. I did not know Tim for a long time, but as work colleagues we quickly became friends. I was amazed by his intelligence of the industry, his incredible confidence as well as competitive nature. His ability to compartmentalize and address the urgent and important tasks at hand with laser focus were second to none. I admired his commitment to work/life balance and dedication to his family. Tim is missed but his impact on me as a person and professional will last forever. Kind regards, Shawn and Deborah Semones
Tim and I played trumpet together in high school. He and I were academically competitive. He kept me on my toes through this competition. In our last correspondence, I thanked him for keeping me passionate about academics in high school through our competition. He replied that I was a great trumpet player and should have kept playing beyond college. He was always an inspiration, always inspiring. Great man, great friend, just great. He will be missed.
David, Beth and family, I am so sorry about Tim. I remember all of you at the Dana United Methodist Church. My kids rode the school bus with Tim and they were always in trouble!! Great memories of Malcolm, Shiela and family.
Tim was always lots of fun in childhood. I loved him. love, Katie/Uncle Dave.
I really enjoyed working with Tim at Coleman and always appreciated his encouragement as a couple of us trained for our first marathon. I pray that God can grant you peace in this difficult time.
Sincere sympathy to everyone. I had pleasure of meeting some of you at Malcom’s services in Dana. Malcolm was a St.Bernice grad as was I, and we enjoyed chatting while he was interim Director at Parke County FSSA. Loved you all