Sunday, August 16, 2026

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS

Robin Gahimer, a certified public accountant, shares several meaningful items from his Shelbyville office. | photo by JACK BOYCE

Editor’s note: The following is part of an occasional Addison Times series in which we ask local professionals to share five meaningful items from their office.

by LUCILLE HAACKER & KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS

Robin Gahimer has spent more than four decades helping clients navigate taxes and financial decisions. But ask him what has made a career in accounting meaningful, and numbers are not what he mentions.

It is the people.

Gahimer began his career with Price Waterhouse, then a major international accounting firm, working from its Indianapolis office. The job included plenty of travel, although, he jokes, stops in Terre Haute, Sidney, Ohio, and Madisonville, Kentucky, were not exactly glamorous.

He eventually returned his professional focus to Shelbyville, joining the accounting firm of Worland and Egan before purchasing the practice in 1981. Today, much of his work centers on income taxes and related matters.

Over those years, clients have become friends, and friends have become clients. Gahimer has attended their weddings, funerals and anniversary celebrations. Some families have trusted him with their finances for generations.

“I’m humbled by the trust that they place in us to take care of something that’s very important in life,” Gahimer said. “It’s more than just crunching numbers.”

The five objects around his office tell much the same story.

For Gahimer, everything ultimately comes back to family.

He and his wife have four daughters and six grandchildren, along with sons-in-law who have become part of the family circle. His daughter Emily even followed a path into accounting, earning a master’s degree in the field.

“One day, when they drag me out of here kicking and screaming,” Gahimer joked, Emily may carry on the practice.

“Family and friends, that is the focus of my life,” he said. “We make a lot of sacrifices for our family. We do a lot of hard things to provide for our family.”

For Gahimer, those relationships also help explain why he has remained in Shelbyville throughout his career. He grew up in the community during the 1960s and ’70s and said he considers himself fortunate to have built both his personal and professional life here.

A small framed postage stamp in Gahimer’s office offers a reminder of one of the people he met through his work. The stamp was issued in 1987 in recognition of the certified public accounting profession. A client, Nancy Esters, gave it to Gahimer, and he has kept it ever since. Esters and her husband, Dick, were longtime clients. Dick Esters later died following a truck crash on State Road 9, while Nancy died after battling cancer.

The keepsake has endured.

“(My clients are) almost like family,” Gahimer said.

Gahimer still has a handful of clients who were with the practice when he purchased it in 1981.

“I’m very humbled by that,” he said.

photo by JACK BOYCE

It is old, worn and decidedly unrestored. That is part of the reason Gahimer has kept it.

The wooden chair in his office once sat in the office of Dr. Roger Whitcomb, Gahimer’s family physician and the doctor who delivered him. Gahimer acquired it years later when physicians using Whitcomb’s former office at 120 W. Jackson St. were remodeling and getting rid of old furniture.

He never restored it. The chair connects Gahimer to a particularly Hoosier story about his own arrival in the world.

Gahimer was born March 20, 1954, the same day Milan High School defeated Muncie Central to win the Indiana high school basketball state championship, the legendary upset that later helped inspire the film “Hoosiers.”

Whitcomb was an avid sports fan himself. Before practicing medicine, he had coached the former Flat Rock High School basketball team to a sectional championship.

Gahimer’s mother later teased that Whitcomb may have been more interested in listening to the basketball tournament on the radio that afternoon than delivering a baby.

The Milan story developed even more Shelby County connections as Gahimer grew older. Milan coach Marvin Wood, a Morristown native, later became athletic director at Shelbyville High School while Gahimer was a student. Ray Craft, a member of the championship team, also worked at Shelbyville High School and later became principal.

What Gahimer remembers most about Wood was a noteworthy trait.

“One of the most humble people I’ve ever met in my life,” Gahimer said.

As a boy, Gahimer collected baseball cards and cheered for the New York Yankees. Mickey Mantle may have been the superstar, but another Yankee from that era eventually became the subject of one of Gahimer’s favorite stories.

Bobby Richardson played second base for the Yankees from 1955 through 1966, appearing in seven World Series and earning five Gold Gloves. Gahimer already owned Richardson’s 1963 baseball card from his childhood collection.

Then, decades later, he acquired another.

The connection came through Shelbyville native Don Thompson, a longtime educator whom Gahimer had known since childhood. Thompson had become friends with Richardson through their involvement with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

When Richardson experienced health problems several years ago, Thompson encouraged Gahimer to send him a note.

“You’re the biggest Yankee fan I know,” Thompson told him.

Gahimer replied with a joke.

“Is that because I’m the heaviest Yankee fan you know?”

He nevertheless wrote the letter.

A few days later, Richardson responded and sent Gahimer an autographed 1963 baseball card.

The story could have ended there. Last December, Gahimer and his wife were traveling south to visit her sister in Pensacola, Florida. Their route took them through South Carolina, where Richardson lives.

Thompson helped arrange a meeting. Gahimer and his wife invited Richardson and his wife to dinner. Richardson’s wife was unable to attend after a dialysis treatment, but Richardson joined them at the restaurant for coffee and later invited the couple to his home.

For Gahimer, meeting a childhood Yankee was memorable. What impressed him more, however, was Richardson himself. Gahimer was struck by his devotion to his family and his Christian faith. Richardson had been close enough to Mantle that he later delivered the eulogy at the Yankee legend’s funeral.

For someone who had accomplished so much, Gahimer said, Richardson spent remarkably little time talking about himself.

That reminded him of Marvin Wood. Both men achieved things that made them famous to others, yet neither seemed particularly interested in being famous.

“They were both so humble,” Gahimer said.

Among all the objects Gahimer selected, one carries a different kind of weight.

The folded American flag belonged to his father, a Marine who served during World War II. It was provided by the American Legion following his father’s death.

Military service runs throughout Gahimer’s family.

His father’s older brother served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Another brother joined the Navy at 16 after receiving permission from his parents, then returned to finish high school. Two more brothers served in the Army during the Korean War.

Gahimer’s older brother served in the Air Force from 1966 to 1970 during the Vietnam era, and several cousins served during Vietnam in the Army and Marine Corps. A younger brother served as a military policeman during peacetime.

Gahimer registered for the draft as the Vietnam War was winding down and received a high lottery number. He considered joining the Air Force but ultimately did not enlist.

That makes the service of those around him all the more meaningful, he said.

“We have so much to be grateful for, and we lose sight of that sometimes,” Gahimer said.

He particularly remembers the treatment many Vietnam veterans received when they returned home from an unpopular war.

“They went and did what they were told,” he said.

For Gahimer, the flag brings the five objects back to where Gahimer began: people.

photo by JACK BOYCE

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE

• The Boggs Society Museum in Boggstown will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. today, with visitors invited to tour the museum and learn more about local history. The Boggs Society will hold its quarterly meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, featuring Greg Weaver of Hendricks Township.

• HOOSIER NEWS: Indiana officials estimate 200,000 to 300,000 Hoosiers could be subject to new Medicaid work requirements, which take effect Jan. 1, 2027, though January applicants and renewals must begin documenting 80 hours of qualifying monthly activity in October. Key details remain unresolved, including how the state will determine medical frailty exemptions and verify work, school, training or volunteer hours. Outside estimates suggest 102,000 to 116,000 Hoosiers could lose Medicaid coverage, while the state is also moving toward six-month eligibility reviews and seeking federal approval for a broader HIP 3.0 restructuring. (IndyStar)

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS

Local headlines reported on or around this date in Shelby County history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials. | edited by HANNAH BAKER | compiled by MYRON RAWLINGS

2016: Supporters of a proposed skatepark in Shelbyville sought concept designs to help move the project forward. Brett Sturgill and Penny Lane Diersing told the Shelbyville Common Council they hoped to include bicycles and scooters and suggested Blue River Memorial Park as a possible location because of its visibility from Interstate 74; supporters had contacted skatepark designers in Bloomington and Indianapolis and hoped to present plans at a future council meeting.

2006: MainStreet Shelbyville moved forward with plans to install new wayfinding signs throughout downtown to help visitors locate landmarks and give the city a more unified look. A grant from the Blue River Community Foundation Community Fund helped fund the project, with signs designed by Rachael Ackley of H2O Designs in Fairland and plans calling for 10 signs to be installed by the end of the year.

1996: Ross Wrecker won the Shelby County Girls league and tournament softball titles. Team members were Samantha Cox, Jessica Stevens, Jill Brown, Heidi Haas, Stephanie Lauper, Amber Cox, Teresa Anderson, Dawn Dunham, Abby Ross, Andreas Brown, Jenny Ross, Jane Macklin and Rachele Cohrs. The coaches were Sharon Cox, Danny Stevens and Cindy Ross.

1986: Workers completed installation of a set of Visual Approach Slope Indicator lights on the north end of the Shelbyville airport.

1976: Season awards were distributed at a carry-in dinner at the Shelbyville Knothole League. Team championships went to the Blue River Lions, who won the A League in a playoff; WSVL, which won the A League tournament; and Kitchin Realty, who took the B League season title; and Certain-Teed, which won the B League Tourney. Bruce Gelinas won the Don Johnson Mental Attitude Award in the A League, and Drew Soshnick won the Vaughn Drake Mental Attitude Award in the B League. Howard Hutchinson of CWA won the A League batting title, and Todd McLane of Kitchin Realty won the B League title. Coach of the Year honors went to Ray Pilk for managing the Blue River Lions and Bruce Knecht of Kitchin Realty.

1966: Ground-breaking was held for a $1 million addition to the local Admiral Corp. plant. Company President Vincent Barreca and Plant Manager Carl McNeely led the ceremony for the 60,000-square-foot addition to be built on the west side of the plant on Miller Ave.

1956: City street department equipment prepared Hamilton Street from Broadway to Washington Street for a $1,000 paving job offered free by Hartman Brothers. The company had sealed 16 city streets with a bituminous mixture earlier that year, but problems developed when pavement on West Washington Street began “bleeding” during the summer. Hartman Brothers offered the Hamilton Street work at no charge if the city removed the old pavement.

With the customary peak of the polio “season” at hand, Shelby County health officials urged parents to watch children closely for summer colds, fever, unusual listlessness, above-normal temperatures and other signs of illness. Officials also advised against overexertion, including swimming to the point of tiredness, and recommended that serious symptoms be reported immediately to a family doctor. The Shelby County Medical Society continued administering polio vaccine shots through the peak season and urged parents to contact their physicians about immunizing their children.

1946: About 1,000 Shelbyville and Shelby County residents gathered on the courthouse lawn for the eighth annual “Melody Night,” presented by the county’s Rural Youth Club. The program featured old-time ballads, popular songs, patriotic selections and community singing, with several hundred chairs set up around the courthouse walks and additional spectators standing nearby. The evening also included a concert by the county’s 4-H and Farm Bureau band, directed by Hubert Marshall.

1936: Bobby the raccoon went to jail despite having committed no crime. His owner, Joseph McClain, was arrested for intoxication while accompanied by his pet raccoon, leaving officers puzzled over what to do with Bobby. Unable to turn him loose and having nowhere else to keep him, officers finally locked Bobby in the same jail cell as his owner.

1926: Former students of Ben W. Richards planned their second annual reunion at the Shelby County Fairgrounds on Aug. 22. Richards, then living in Shelbyville, had taught for many years in Brandywine Township, and the first reunion had been successful enough that his former pupils decided to make the gathering an annual event.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory

Tommie Lee Gould, 87, passed away on Wednesday August 12, 2026 at his residence in Shelbyville. He was born in Campbellsburg, Indiana to parents Gilbert O. Gould and Mabel (Voyles) Gould.

Tom graduated from Orleans High School in 1957, where he was a four-year varsity basketball starting guard and standout player. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education and secondary education from Purdue University in 1963. Mr. Gould taught and coached basketball at Seymour Junior High School for two years before coming to Shelbyville High School in 1966. He taught biology, health, physical education and driver’s education at Shelbyville for 34 years before retiring in 2000. He was an assistant basketball coach for some of Shelbyville’s finest teams, including the 1967 through 1970 squads that captured four consecutive sectional titles. He served as an assistant coach for the 1979 and 1980 teams that advanced to the Indianapolis Semi-State. Coach Gould won two sectionals during his years as the Golden Bears head coach from 1980 through 1983. He also coached boys and girls golf and cross-country teams during his tenure at SHS. He is the only basketball coach in Golden Bear history to serve in the roles of varsity, assistant varsity, junior varsity and freshman coach. Tom was a member of the local Sons of The American Legion, VFW auxiliary, the Eagles Lodge and the Elks Lodge. He was an avid golfer with his friends, Tom Wheeler and Don Dunaway. He enjoyed long rides on his motorcycle in the Black Hills, SD. He was a proud Purdue alumnus and an avid fan of Boilermaker athletics, religiously following the teams and attending numerous football and basketball games through the years. Most significantly, Coach Gould inspired his players to develop a passion for basketball and a special connection to being a Golden Bear. He forged special lifetime relationships with many former players and students who remain eternally grateful for his positive influence.

He is survived by sons, Bradley (Shana) Gould of Rantoul, IL, and Mark (Anita) Gould of Spearfish, SD; grandchildren Derek (Katie) Gould of Mascoutah, IL, Katie Gould of Mascoutah, IL, Markus Gould of Saratoga, WY and Madison (Jack) Gould of Salt Lake City, UT; great-grandchildren, Abigail, Graham, Andrew and Summer; brother Jim Gould; loving partner of 20 years Judy Dover and special friends Yvonne Beaumont and Russell Cooper. Mr. Gould was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Hilda Gould and Delores Smedley; and his loving dogs, Magic and Brown.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Shelbyville American Legion and will be announced soon. Funeral directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks and Stuart Parks are honored to serve Tom’s family. Memorial contributions in honor of Tom can be made to the Shelbyville Athletic Booster Club, 2003 S. Miller St., Shelbyville, IN 46176. Condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.

Jerry Lee Sosbe, 76, of Shelbyville passed away on Friday, August 14, 2026, at Ashford Place in Shelbyville. He was born on March 22, 1950, in Shelbyville, the son of Walter and Mildred (Purtlebaugh) Sosbe. Jerry is survived by his daughter, Shelley Sosbe Mills (Joe Powell) of Danville; son, Travis Sosbe (Lisa) of Marietta; brothers, Tom Sosbe (Jan) of Rushville, Tony Sosbe (Barb) of Brown County, and Brian Sosbe of Rushville; grandchildren, Brooklyn Klug (Mike), Christopher Mills (Emily), Kyle Mills, Blake Mills (Elle) Drew Powell, Dawson Powell, Tyler Sosbe, Kerra Rood and Paige Bryan (Ben); nine great-grandchildren; mother of his children, Sally Cox of New Palestine; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Tim Sosbe.

In 1969, Jerry graduated from Shelbyville High School. He was a welder for J&L Tool for 36 years, retiring in 2012. Jerry enjoyed going camping and fishing. He also enjoyed woodworking.

Visitation will be from 2 to 3 p.m., Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Funeral services will follow, with Steve Nuthak officiating. Interment will be at Miller Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the donor’s choice of charity. Online condolences may be shared with Jerry’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.