When I heard Ted Short had passed away, I immediately thought about the metal feeding trough at Higher Calling that was turned into a baptismal. Seeing Ted and his wife Jill in that trough being baptized is one of my earliest and most enduring memories of the church. It’s a testament to how changed lives lead to other lives being changed in response.
The apostle Peter was the rock Jesus said he would build his church upon. Ted Short was a rock that built a church. Literally. Ted and his lifelong friend Frank turned an empty warehouse space into a fully built out place for worship and recovery. Every wall, every floor, every piece of wood in the stage, everything, was designed and put into place by those two men. They continued to maintain the building and clean it weekly after the build out was completed. And they did it all for free. Hundreds of people accepted Christ in those spaces. None of it would have been possible without Ted.
And this service was hardly something new for Ted, he had already made a career of it through his work as a firefighter. If there’s a hall of fame for firefighters, Ted should be in it. His dedication to that profession and his station was unrivaled.
I don’t know if heaven is in need of renovation, but if anyone could make improvements there, it’s Ted. Movements that change the world are full of the people who care enough to show up.
Thank you Ted. You always showed up. You will be dearly missed.
Celebration of Life Service
Sunday December 8, 2019 from 1:00PM-4:00PM
Indianapolis Professional Firefighters Local 416 Union Hall
748 Massachusetts Avenue Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Career as Firefighter in Indianpolis
From the Retired Indianapolis Firefighter Facebook page:
Ted Short was appointed to the Indianapolis Fire Department on 11/05/1975. He first served in the United States Army for several years before working at Penn Central Railroad for 9 years, as a railroad engineer and a yard fireman. His first day on the job was at Engine 12 A shift on 12/21/1975. Ted’s first regular assignment began on 07/06/1978 at Engine 24 A shift. He relocated to Engine 14 A shift on 08/14/1982. Then he transferred to Engine 07 A shift on 2/18/1983 before moving over to Rescue 07 A shift on 10/19/1984. He stayed there until being promoted to Lieutenant on 05/09/1986. Ted took the officer spot on Engine 34 C shift starting on 5/23/1986. But soon returned back to Engine 24 A shift once again, as their Lieutenant on 3/2/1987. Ted decided to move over to TSU 10 A shift on 11/3/1999, and eventually it was relocated to the 25s in late 2011. Ted retired from TSU 25 on 12/31/2012. He only missed one day of work during his entire career as a firefighter. Ted was extremely efficient as a TSU officer with repairs and work on the fire ground. Ted was always known for his carpentry skills. He completely built his house on the far east side of town. Ted used his woodworking skills to do many projects around the L416 union hall. These included the front fascia, pillars, and most recently the doors between the old and new part of the union hall/museum with two steadfast firefighter friends of Dennis Ford and Frank Lemons. Ted was an active member of the Retired Firefighters Club and attended all breakfasts and lunches at Local 416.
