Thomas "TJ" Furnish

Thomas “TJ” Joseph Furnish, 79, of Middletown, passed away peacefully at his residence on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Born on September 6, 1946, in New Castle, Indiana, TJ was the son of the late Thomas B. and Nellie Mae (Smith) Furnish.

A 1964 graduate of Middletown High School and proud to be a Cossack. He went on to earn his PhD in Pharmacy from Purdue University, where he was also a dedicated member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. He treasured the lifelong friendships he built there and truly enjoyed reconnecting with his AGR brothers over the years.

TJ devoted his professional life to serving his community through pharmacy. He worked in several pharmacies across Indiana before opening his own independent pharmacy in Muncie, Royale Pharmacy, one of the few independently owned pharmacies in the state. He owned and operated it for 32 years until his retirement in 2016.

Outside of his career, TJ had a deep love for horses. He trained, showed, and judged them, and he served as president of the Hoosier Palomino Association. TJ was also an avid sports fan. He especially loved cheering on his children and grandchildren at their sporting events and was a devoted Purdue University sports supporter with unwavering Boilermaker spirit.

TJ is survived by his wife of 55 years, Kathy Furnish of Middletown; children, Kevin Furnish of Yorktown, Chasey (Tim) Petty of Markleville and Mandy McKay of Markleville; grandchildren, Maxwell, Jackson, Colin and Ava Furnish, Madelynn and Jacob Petty and Kyler McKay; sister-in-law, Melonie Furnish; many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, TJ was preceded in death by a brother, Terry Furnish.

Services will be held at 6:00pm Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at Ballard and Sons Funeral Home in Middletown. Visitation will be from 4:00pm until the time of service on Wednesday. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made in TJ’s honor to Tunnels to Towers Foundation at www.t2t.org. You may express condolences or share memories of TJ at www.ballardandsons.com.