Harold “Lee” Brackins passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on June 13, 2016, at the age of 75 after a short but intense battle with cancer.
A lifelong member of the community, Lee was born on May 15, 1941, in rural Tipton County, graduated from Sheridan High School in 1959 and attended Ball State University until family illness called him back to the family farm just one semester short of completing a degree in Engineering. He married Emily Jean Donahue on October 7, 1967, at St. Joan of Arc in Kokomo and on the farm together they started Jean’s Flowers in 1974. One year later, they moved the business to the Side Street Mall in Tipton and enjoyed 42 years of working together for family, friends and the community. Many residents will remember fondly Lee delivering flowers with his dog buddy, Barney. A longtime and dedicated member of the Lions Club of Tipton since 1982 and parishioner of St. John’s Catholic Church, Lee was an active volunteer for many charitable programs. He provided daily words of encouragement and humor as the “Hooterville Pa”
on Facebook.
Lee is survived by his wife, Jean; his children, Kathy Syferd, Danville, John (Janet) Brackins Greenfield, and Sara (Jason) O’Neill Fishers; his grandchildren, Derek, Amelia and Owen Brackins, Ashley and Kaitlyn Syferd, and Truman Lee and Violet O’Neill; his sisters, Anne Brackins of Oak Ridge, Tenn. and Beth (Wade) Wilson of Baltimore, Md.; his three sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Bernetta Griffith Brackins and grandparents, Helen and Gifford Ploughe Griffith of Kempton.
Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Young-Nichols Funeral Home. A graveside service for Lee will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 15 at St. John’s Cemetery in Tipton with Rev. Dennis Goth presiding.
Donations may be made in Lee’s memory to the Tipton Lions Club Scholarship Fund, 1003 N East St, Tipton, IN, 46072 envelopes will be available at the funeral home.
The family would like to thank all the staff at Miller’s for their kind and loving care of Lee. It was a blessing to Lee to have the support of the Tipton community.
