Tim J. Harmon, July 21, 1952–June 20, 2025
The title of Tim Harmon’s 2022 memoir, Boomer Boy: My Normal Life, doesn’t seem quite accurate. Born in the 1950s, he qualified as a Boomer, but he was far from ordinary. A recognizable figure on Indy’s east side, Harmon was best known as a purveyor of architectural salvage who launched Tim & Billy’s Salvage (later renamed Tim & Avi’s) in Kennedy-King in 1991. After “retiring” for six years in the aughts, he returned to open Tim & Julie’s Another Fine Mess (later renamed Tim & Company’s) on East 10th Street in 2012. A carpenter by trade, the Chicago native was also an artist, author, landlord, investor, community activist, and owner of Indy’s Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum. The final iteration of Harmon’s shop closed its doors in early August, but the museum will live on in a new space at Factory Arts District, thus keeping a torch (in this case, 650-plus mini torches) lit in his memory.
Jim Irsay, June 13, 1959–May 21, 2025
Though part of the dynasty responsible for turning Indianapolis into a big league sports city, Jim Irsay’s legacy to Indy reach far beyond the football field. Sure, the Colts bagged a Super Bowl win under Irsay’s ownership, and he helped bring Lucas Oil Stadium to life. But the rock star Colts owner also made major philanthropic contributions to the city, especially in the areas of health care and youth programs. He was just as generous in sharing his poetic side, amassing a traveling collection of iconic memorabilia including guitars formerly owned by Bob Dylan and Prince, Wilson from Castaway (yes, the volleyball), the original scroll of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, and—a nod to his own, open struggles with addiction—an original hand-edited manuscript of the Alcoholics Anonymous “Big Book.” Powerful, colorful, imperfect, Irsay left an indelible mark on Indianapolis as significant as any of his collected tokens.
Albert Trevino, November 4, 1965–May 8, 2025
In the early days, Rene’s Bakery founder Albert Trevino would ride his bicycle from his home in Broad Ripple to a tiny alley-side shop where he would toil over croissants and cookies all morning and close shop when he sold out. Two years after his diagnosis with an aggressive cancer, Trevino was too ill to continue. In stepped longtime bakery employee Isaac Roman and industry veteran Thomas Hays, who reopened the shop under Trevino’s tutelage. Trevino passed away in May at age 59, and his loss still stings. But family and friends take comfort in the fact that he knew his life’s work would continue.
Kevin Raber, January 4, 1954–March 25, 2025
Photographer Kevin Raber had a world of influence on his art form. From his home base in Indianapolis and the Indy Art Center, where he taught fine art printing, to the glaciers of Antarctica and the Pacific Northwest, he captured the great outdoors with boundless curiosity. Just as memorable, he served as a friend and mentor to many in the business, leading photography workshops abroad and sharing tips and tricks on the website he founded, photoPXL.com, which guarantees that his teachings are as enduring as the volumes of images he left us with.
