New Castle resident Ronald Beck Tower, age 80, died Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at home following a lengthy illness. Born June 15, 1941 in New Castle, he was the son of Sylvester and Hazel Collins Tower.
He was a 1959 graduate of Walter P. Chrysler High School. He served as a field operator in the United States Army in Germany from 1960 to 1963. Tower married the former Maedean Cox on Sept. 19, 1964 in Knightstown Friends Church. The couple had three daughters. He had worked at Perfect Circle and Dana Corporation from 1964 through 1988 following his military service.
Tower was a well-known Henry County photographer and worked for The Courier-Times for 40 years. He enjoyed photographing New Castle athletes, Steve Alford and Mike Kovaleski, during their college careers. “Ron took the famous shot of Josh Estelle making the winning basketball regional shot in New Castle against Batesville in 1996 to beat Batesville and go on to Semi-state,” recalled retired Courier-Times coworker Darrel Radford.
Radford also remembered the photographer had close working relationships with county coaches especially the late Don Willard of Knightstown. Tower sometimes covered two games in one night. He also assisted the newspaper’s news department and was many times the first on the scene of accidents to document the events.
A race car enthusiast, Tower spent several years taking pictures at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Mt. Lawn Speedway for over 40 years. He also did freelance work throughout the county.
A dedicated volunteer, he helped in several capacities for Breakfast Optimists throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He served on its board of directors and was the club’s photographer documenting all sports including Little League Football and Babe Ruth Baseball. He also was involved in the club’s Big Flag Project. Ron and Maedean spent their later years serving as lighthouse keepers throughout Michigan. He was also a member of the First Friends Meeting in New Castle, In.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a twin brother, Donald Bud.
Survivors include three daughters, Christina Tower of Greenfield, Dede Moore (husband Mike} of Indianapolis and Aimee VanMiddlesworth (husband Neal) of Richmond; grandchildren, Quinn, Griffin and Anna Moore of Indianapolis and Avery and Payton VanMiddlesworth of Richmond; a sister, Randy Miller (husband, Don) of Woodstock, Georgia, and a brother, Raymond of Idaho; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m., Tuesday, November, 9, 2021 at First Friends Meeting, 513 S. Main St. with Pastor Rick Schoeff officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., November 8, 2021 at Macer-Hall -Marcum Funeral Home, East 2011 Broad St. Military honors will be conducted by the U.S. Army American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Meetinghouse. Memorial donations made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601. Funeral directors and staff are honored to serve the Tower family. Online condolences may be made at www.macerhall.com.