Kevin "Gus" Salesman

Hardworking, straight forward and quick witted were just a few ways to describe Kevin "Gus" Salesman. Gus, a nickname he had from high school followed him in his military career after working with several other Kevin's at the base. Kevin had a heart of gold and always put others before himself. He was always aware of events going on in other's lives and took the time to talk with his friends. He was not one to sugar coat anything and told you how he felt if you asked for his advice. He believed and said many times, "business is business and personal is personal" and once he was done talking to you about something of business, he could drop it and move right along like nothing happened.

With the first Big Mac going on sale for McDonalds, 1968 had many memorable events happen. Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated and Robert Kennedy was mortally wounded. The first successful heart transplant was performed, the Boeing 747 made its maiden flight and emergency 911 telephone service was started in the USA. The year also welcomed the birth of Kevin A. Salesman on June 23, 1968 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Kevin was the son of Gerald A. and Linda E. (Pippenger) Salesman and grew up in Fort Wayne. His uncle introduced him to tractor pulls and he enjoyed working on cars. In his junior year at Paul Harding High School, Kevin was talked into joining the school show choir because they needed more male student involvement. This decision would change the rest of his life. It was in show choir where he first met Julie A. Henley and they eventually would start dating and fall in love. The two dated throughout high school and following graduation in 1986 and obtaining his associates degree from ITT Tech in vehicle maintenance, the young couple were married on May 22, 1990 in Fort Wayne. They would start a family together and welcome two beautiful girls into their hearts and home, Kayla and Dana.

Kevin started his work career by working on vehicles for the Indiana State Highway Department and served in the Indiana Air National Guard. He would eventually be fulltime with the U.S. Air Force and by 1992, he and his family moved from Fort Wayne to Alpena, Michigan. Following retirement in 2011, Kevin took a civil service job with the Department of Defense at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County, Maryland and lived near Washington D.C. His health forced him to retire much sooner than he planned on July 7, 2018 as Budget Analysist. He and Julie would return home to Indiana and make Columbia City their new home where Julie's parents were living.

For many years Kevin took his family to Cedar Point and even had season passes, despite being six hours away. He loved taking vacations with his family, going to Florida and camping. He showed his family how "easily" everything needed for a camping trip could be packed into the back of their Honda Accord. He enjoyed golfing, grilling and was a Cincinnati Bengals fan. While he and his family lived in Michigan, he volunteered with the local fire department and coached basketball and soccer. Kevin also volunteered his time with the Thunder Bay Basketball Association (TBBA) to help children and youth become involved with playing basketball in the area.

After a two-year battle with colon cancer, Kevin A. Salesman, passed away at 7:08 p.m. Sunday, January 20, 2019 at his home in Columbia City, Indiana surrounded by his family. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife, Julie Salesman; daughters, Kayla (Ryan) Delaney, of Fort Wayne, Indiana and Dana Salesman, of Salt Lake City, Utah; and grandson, Elijah; brother, LJ Stevenson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald Salesman and Linda Salesman-Stone.

A gathering of family and friends with be from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, January 25, 2019 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. A service will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday at Columbia City United Methodist Church with Pastor Fred Stayton. Memorial gifts may be given in his memory to Colon Cancer Alliance or the college fund for his grandchildren, I.C.O. Julie Salesman. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send his family condolences online.