Clyde "Tom" Harber

Clyde “Tom” Harber passed away on January 12, 2026; at the age of 87. Tom was a nickname given to Clyde at a young age. The story goes that he was a small baby, and his family gave him the nickname "Tom Thumb," later shortened to "Tom." Tom was born on June 4, 1938, to Tee and Hattie (Cottrell) Harber in Lee County, Virginia. Tom was one of eleven children; he is survived by one sister, Betty (Harber) Turner of Strawtown, Indiana.

Tom married the love of his life, his wife, Shirley (Fleenor) Harber, on November 30, 1957. The preacher who married them was none other than Elvis Presley’s uncle. Tom and Shirley went on to have five beautiful children together: Sherry, Sheila, Tom, Tammy, and Greg. Those beautiful children gave them 15 grandchildren to spoil, who then gave them 21 great-grandchildren to spoil, who gave them 9 great-great-grandchildren to spoil. Tom enjoyed giving every child a Tootsie Pop or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

After the birth of Sherry, Tom and Shirley decided to follow some family members and move to Noblesville, Indiana, where Tom eventually went to work at Firestone Industries, where he worked for 30 years and retired in 1994. He met several friends while working at Firestone, and a lot of these friends would go on an annual fishing trip every summer. Tom would bring back gallon-sized baggies filled with fish and have a family/friend fish fry during Memorial Day weekend.

After retiring from Firestone, Tom and Shirley ended up splitting their time between Virginia and Indiana. However, after the passing of some family members in Virginia, they decided to spend their time in Albany, Kentucky, where their daughter, Sherry, had relocated. This way, Tom and Shirley were able to spend time with all their grandchildren throughout the year. It is in Albany, Kentucky, where Tom would set up at the 127 Sale, “The World’s Largest Garage Sale”. Tom loved the week during the 127 Sale and would talk to everyone who stopped. He met many good people during this sale, and some people would stop year after year just to talk to Tom.

Tom and Shirley, in the last few years, decided to sell their place in Kentucky due to age and spend the remaining years of their lives in Noblesville, Indiana. The past few summers, while being back in Noblesville, it had become an annual trip to Gene’s Root Beer Stand for a good coney dog and an ice-cold root beer. There were also many morning trips to Hardee’s for biscuits and gravy, and many afternoon trips to Steak' N Shake for a chocolate milkshake, but with no whipped cream and no cherry.

One of Tom’s passions in life was collecting pennies. He had jars and jars of pennies and, every once in a while, would roll them up and take them to the bank. Tom would pick up a penny no matter where he was or what was around him. The family often joked that Tom would bend down and pick up a penny even if a semi-truck was heading straight towards him.

If Tom wasn’t found outside sitting on the porch watching the birds on his feeders or tinkering with something. He could be found inside watching an old western or CNN.

Tom is survived by his loving wife, Shirley, who recently celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in November, and his children: Sheila Johnson, Tom Harber, Tammy (Jeff) Yeary, and Greg Harber (all of Noblesville). He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sherry Antle; his daughter-in-law, Mary Harber; his son-in-law, James Antle; his grandson, Jeffrey Yeary; his great-grandson, Tyler Antle; and his great-great-granddaughter, Ellena Harber.

Instead of flowers, Tom would have liked nothing more than for everyone to honor his memory by performing a random act of kindness, such as purchasing breakfast for someone at Hardee’s, buying a milkshake for someone at Steak 'N Shake, or simply giving a child some candy. Because Tom always had candy in his kitchen cabinets, just by chance, a child might stop by.

Services will be held at 1:00 pm on Friday, January 16, 2026 at Randall & Roberts Funeral Home, 1150 Logan Street in Noblesville. Visitation will be from 11:00 am until the time of service at the funeral home. Burial will be at Crownland Cemetery in Noblesville.

Condolences: www.randallroberts.com