Holton tornado claims man's life 11 months later

HOLTON, Ind. - Nearly 11 months after a deadly and violent twister tore through the small southern Indiana town of Holton, the storm has claimed another life.

Ted Tolbert, 71, had been on life support since the tornado tore through his home in March 2012, injuring him and his wife, Brenda.

"He would have given somebody his last five dollars if he thought they needed it more than him," said Tolbert's daughter, Michelle Belanger.

Belanger said she and her mother are remembering the life Ted Tolbert led. A former police dispatcher, he loved to laugh and always carried with him an unwavering faith.

"I hear his words. I can hear his voice," Belanger said. "He always told me what you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, shall come to pass."

As the town struggled to rebuild the many homes that were lost, Belanger worked on trying to get her father home from Ohio, where he was taken after the storm.

"We were told at the hospital when they were trying to help me search for him to come some place in Indiana, they said no skilled facility in Indiana took ventilators," she said.

Belanger said that news was heartbreaking.

"Here he was. He couldn't talk. He couldn't do anything. And, I couldn't fix it," she said. "As hard as I try, I couldn't make it better. I couldn't get him home."

Ted Tolbert will be laid to rest on Friday in Ripley County.

"He was like Superman," his daughter said. "He defied so many statistics over the years, you know. In 1978, they told him he had six months to live. This is 2013. And, (he told them), 'You can't tell me that. There's only one person (who can), and that's not you.'"

The March 2 storms are now responsible for 11 deaths in the Tri-State.