Downtown Devastated by the Loss of "Mr. Tippecanoe"
The downtown lost a pillar of the community last week when Gordon Honeyman, also affectionately known as “Mr. Tippecanoe” passed away. Gordon was one of the most loved people in town and spearheaded many initiatives and programs to keep Tipp City—he still called it Tippecanoe—a vibrant and loved community. Here are just a few of the memories Gordon left us, shared with the Gazette by some of the people affected by his life.
From Heather Bailey:
Gordon Honeyman: A treasure to his hometown
In 1978, I met Gordon for the first time. My parents had built a home in Bethel Township, not far from a historic brick home that Gordon had restored. He was a guest at the first big shindig that my folks threw in their new house. Our house and the party were formal places. Gordon was right at home in his bow tie. I was smitten with him from the start. I was 15.
His brick home was back a long lane not far from Harmony Farm on State Route 202. The era and his home were ripe with antiques and the hangover of America's 1976 bicentennial celebration. It was not Gordon's first Tipp City-area home to rescue from dilapidation. As a connoisseur of local history, Gordon could preserve with gusto, and that included old houses. His love of history included his collection of stories of our community, which made him a fabulous conversationalist. He had the ability to pull the threads of local history into a conversation that made the past feel very relevant with the present.
He was a living treasure, and I'm just not sure who can fill those shoes. For sure, someone will, but I just am not sure who it will be.
Sharing his impact on our community through the Tipp City Foundation Gordon Honeyman served on the Tipp City Foundation board of trustees for so many years that when he retired in 2009, other members couldn't actually recall when he started. Neither could Gordon. Eventually, someone dug through old minutes to figure out that he began in 1994. But in those pre-online days, it took a good bit of digging to figure that out!
While he served, he saw many positive changes in our grantmaking because of the organization's rapid asset growth. The foundation's impact was taking dramatic positive steps forward. The growth was because a prior trustee, Helen Timmer, contributed our first large estate gift. It was $1 million. I believe that it was Helen who inspired Gordon to follow similarly by planning for the Tipp City Foundation through his own estate. That made him a legacy donor.
For many years, and by "many" I mean maybe 20, Gordon's legacy plan - to leave a gift to the foundation through his estate - was anonymous. I knew about it but otherwise it was a secret. Then one day he rethought his quiet philanthropy plan. Could it be that by "going public" and being listed as a legacy donor in our publications, others might be inspired to include the foundation in their estate plans? So, the veil was lifted, and his intentions were made known. Today, we have 29 known legacy donors who have planned for us through their estates. Going one step further, in 2021 he opened up the Tippecanoe Fund by Gordon Honeyman, an unrestricted fund, so that he could see during his life what the seeds of his estate could eventually look like.
Sharing Mayor Tim Evans' 2009 Proclamation for Gordon:
MAYOR’S PROCLAMATION
“In the spring of 2009, Gordon Honeyman ended his long years of service to the Foundation. Joining Ruth Hawley and Jim Kyle, he is now an emeritus member of the organization.
During his years of service, Gordon worked tirelessly to support and promote not only the Tipp City Foundation but also his beloved hometown, Tippecanoe. In 1994, he became a member of the Foundation's Distribution Committee.
His steady hand, calm nature and the confidence that he inspires in others lent credibility to the work of the Foundation. Since joining the board, thirteen new, named funds were added to the Foundation’s roster.
As the Tipp City Exempted Village School Board’s named representative to the Foundation, it was natural that he would also serve as a founding member of the Tippecanoe Educational Endowment, a fund of the Foundation. He took on that community leadership role beginning in 1999.
Therefore, we name Gordon Honeyman an Emeritus member of the Tipp City Foundation and a treasure of his hometown.” -Mayor Tim Evans
From the Tipp City Public Library Staff:
Today we remember a very special member of our library family.
For many years, Gordon Honeyman was a familiar and welcome presence at the Tipp City Public Library. From 2-3pm every day, he came to the library. He would stop by the director’s office to chat about his lunch he got from Bodega. He loved the newspapers, he loved sitting in his favorite table, and he loved stopping and chatting with the staff or other patrons.
Long-time patrons like Gordon are part of what makes our library truly special. They remind us that a library is more than a place for books; it is a place for connection and community,
We are grateful for the many years that Gordon spent with us and for the joy he brought to our library. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family and friends during this difficult time. Gordon’s presence will be deeply missed but always remembered.
From the Tippecanoe Historical Society:
Words are not quite big enough to describe Gordon Honeyman or his contributions to the Tippecanoe Historical Society and our community. He knew everyone, and everyone knew him. He was so knowledgeable about Tipp City’s history that he could provide amazing backstories about people and places at the heart of the town. He was held in high esteem for his vast knowledge and was treasured within the Society. His enthusiasms were infectious, and he brought his joy of life to the Society’s mission. Gordon was a constant, supporting the Society and steadfast in his belief in its long-term survival. He devoted many volunteer hours to the governance of the organization, its programs, and projects. Shakespeare’s Hamlet said it well, “He was a man, take him for all in all, we shall not look upon his like again.”
From Drew Hackenberger, neighbor:
"I saw Gordon Honeyman nearly every day and he will be missed. He was always up early and out picking up his newspaper. Every morning, he would meet my dogs at the fence and feed them treats, so much that the dogs long ago learned the sound of his door opening and would run over to the fence to wait for him. Nearly every day, Gordon would head out in the late morning and head to either Bodega or Dos Lunas for lunch. Often, he would drive down to the YMCA in Dayton because they have a sauna that he really liked. Most days, he would head to the Tipp Library to read the Wall Street Journal. Whenever I noticed he'd missed a day, I'd tease him: "Gordon, the library called - nobody is reading the Wall Street Journal?"
“Many evenings, he would walk across the street to the Legion and have dinner and hang out with all the great patrons. I was happy to help Gordon out regularly with snow shoveling and yard work. After that first big snow of this year, my wife Amy and I dug a path out for him - he needed to get to the Legion for dinner! Gordon also mentioned that he used to regularly meet with members of his high school graduating class at Bob Evans. Gordon was a great neighbor, and we will miss him. And not only us. This week, my dogs have been waiting by the fence every morning, waiting for Gordon to come out and give them treats."
From Greg Enslen:
Downtown lost a pillar of the community
The downtown lost a pillar of the community last week when Gordon Honeyman passed away. Greg Enslen, publisher of the Tippecanoe Gazette, remembered Gordon fondly: "I've known Gordon since I moved to town many years ago, and he's always been around helping out at events and activities. Every time I would wander into the Tipp Historical Society, he would be in there helping out patrons learn more about our beautiful town.
Recently, Gordon was a guest on the Downtown Lowdown podcast, the official podcast of the Downtown Tipp City Partnership. Hosted by Tasha Weaver, we actually did two full episodes with Gordon, so give it a listen if you want to hear about Tipp's history straight from the source. We were honored to sit down with Gordon, who seemed to get a kick out of our basement studio setup, and promptly launched into a history of the Dolly Toy building. The man was always excited to educate people. Honeyman sat right down at our conference room table, put on the headphones, and started talking about the history of Tipp City. I had to stop him because we hadn’t even started recording yet! I wasn’t certain if we were gonna have enough information for an episode, but he ended up talking for over two hours, schooling Tasha and I about every single aspect of the Downtown and sharing great stories about all the different buildings and their history.
I have a large TV on the wall, so I pulled up a Google map and he was excited to walk us through the histories of many downtown properties, including several buildings downtown that had changed significantly in his time in Tipp City. He also had a great story about a pathway that used to run along the train tracks down to the old train station and the different restaurants and bars that used to be located along that stretch.
I’m gonna miss Gordon - like me, he was a fan and booster of our downtown and was focused on keeping Tipp as "real" as possible. Gordon had a deep knowledge of the downtown because he was here and lived through it. And every time I saw him, he was always smiling and happy. Gordon will be missed."
Friends and acquaintances shared memories on social media
Social media this past week was filled with expressions of sadness and sympathy at Gordon Honeyman’s passing. As word spread around town, many took to social media outlets to express their sadness and share memories of Gordon and his affect on them and on his community. Here is a small sampling of the memories shared:
Dear Gordon. A wonderful friend who loved Tipp City with his heart and soul. I declare him
to be the heart of Tipp City. My deepest condolences to his family and friends as you say so long so long to him. Great guy, gone too soon. Fly with the angels Gordon. So Long my friend. Will miss you so.
Gordon, you were Mr. Tippecanoe!! Will always remember the Ohio State games with Tom and Marilyn Kyle. Such great memories dear friend. Rest in peace…
What a pillar of the community. I know he will be missed by many.
Dennis Kerg
We always met at boys/girls basketball games. We always sat close to the floor on the end of bleachers. I called it old timers section. I'll miss you my friend. R I P Gordon.
Sorry to hear this. He was a good friend of my grandma Jane who passed away in late 2024. He also gave my daughter one of his Ohio state alumni coins as my daughter now an Ohio state alumni as well.
So sorry to hear. He brought a lot to the Tipp City community and will be missed. Condolences to his family.
My husband so enjoyed talking with him at the Legion and stopping by his house. Good guy!
Alyssa Griffin
Gordon was absolutely one exceptional man, friends with my family as many out there would more than agree! He will be greatly missed 🙏
We will all miss that smile and warm greeting
Gordon was one of a kind. He will be missed
He will be missed
Darren Eaton
He was definitely Mr. Tippecanoe. A helluva great man! Rest high, sir
He was our neighbor for 6 years and we loved him dearly! He will be greatly missed!
Sorry to hear of his passing. He was a wonderful person
a great classmate, he will be missed. prayers
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