Friday, December 6, 2024

Dec 06, 2024

BEARS IN ACTION

ABOVE: Sam Johnson sets up for a free throw during last night’s Shelbyville Middle School 6th grade boys basketball game. (He banked it in.) BELOW: Lillian Gaddie and Sophia Idlewine lead a cheer during a timeout. | photos by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS

Keeping Gene Junken’s Promise

Editor’s note: Thank you to Mike Kolls for reminding me yesterday of the 78th anniversary of Trooper Herb Smith’s murder. Below is an article I wrote in 2019, updated to reflect the year. - Kristiaan Rawlings

Seventy-eight years after the murder of Trooper Herb Smith, most local motorists speed past the memorial sign on SR 9 with hardly a glance. Smith’s closest friends and family lie in Forest Hill, and his barren widow, Virginia (Trees), only 31 years old when he was killed, died 25 years ago. Even the last two of the then-teens involved recently passed away. But Shelbyville’s Betty (Kelley) Parker, 10 years old at the time, will never forget the day her uncle, known as “Smitty” to his colleagues, stopped for lunch at her Fairland home immediately before the seemingly routine, yet fatal encounter.

Parker remembers December 5, 1946 well, the day Cecil “Dutch” Eddleman didn’t hesitate to fire up his single-engine Aeronca Champion after a desperate call for help cackled through the radio. Ascending from a tiny airfield on the Pearle Hungerford farm, he soon soared above two stopped vehicles across from the Elks Blue River Country Club, near the current entrance to Country Club Heights, on N. SR 9: a state police car, in which Shelby County native and State Trooper Smith, 29, lie slain, and an abandoned vehicle which had recently contained four teens, one of whom fired the fatal shot.

Armed with a tip from nearby farmer Herman Gaunce, who witnessed teens fleeing the scene, Eddleman scoured farmland from above while locals Gerald Amos, Chandis Bassett, and Ralph Nigh joined a search party.

From beneath a pile of strewn cornstalks amidst a herd of cattle on Troy Arnold’s farm, a red scarf and handkerchief soon emerged. Eddleman circled low, pointing at the sign of surrender while police closed in.

Only an hour earlier, William F. Price, 17, had been joyriding in a stolen vehicle, accompanied by William Johnson, 17, Vera Hornback, 15, and Mary Ward, 14. En route to Kentucky to be married, the couples passed a truck on a curve, causing Smith to pull them over and request vehicle registration. When Price could not produce a document, the teens were ordered to trail Smith into Shelbyville.

Several miles into the trip, Johnson, sporting a stolen snub-nosed silver plated revolver, suggested to Price that they feign motor trouble and shoot the officer. Price responded, “No, you better not. Give me the gun.” Johnson handed the revolver to Hornback, who gave it to Price, who relented and stopped the car.

The plan worked. Too well. Smith stopped, backed up, and exited his patrol car to check on the teens. State Trooper Fred Lee, driving a wrecker as a part-time gig, rumbled past, sensing nothing out of the ordinary. But Price, fearful that he would spend more time in the Plainfield Boys’ School, shot through the windshield just as Smith turned toward him. The bullet hit Smith in the chest, above and to the side of his badge, passing through and exiting. Smith returned fire; a shot went through a tire on the teens’ car, harming no one, and other shots went wild. His revolver empty, Smith crawled back into his car, picked up the two-way transmitter microphone, dropped his gun, and collapsed, unable to complete a call for help.

Price placed his gun on the seat, told Hornback to let him out, crawled over her to the right side of the car, and ran for a cornfield, his three passengers in bewildered pursuit. A German Mauser automatic, not used in the shooting, was discarded in the field, found by a farmer plowing the following spring.

While the teens sought shelter, nearby farmer Wray Fox and his son, John, reached the trooper’s side, with Smith’s colleague and close friend Elmer Cord just behind them. John Fox loosened Smith’s tie and undid his belt, but Herb, gasping for breath, was gone. Meanwhile, Wray ran across the road to phone police from Oscar Jones’s house and word quickly reached the Connersville post, which sent a swarm of troopers, including Fred Lee, who had arrived home after finishing his towing job.

Police officers Leroy Kelley and Russell Clapp were also on the scene, while Smith’s brother-in-law, Trooper Charles “Preach” Longstreet, and Trooper Phil Banawitz searched for the suspects. Shelbyville Police Chief Walter Winton and Sheriff Fred Gravely dispatched officers to the scene. Several farmers and at least seven private light planes, including Eddleman’s, formed a search posse.

“Those thugs didn’t have a chance and they knew it,” Shelbyville policeman Gene Junken wrote in an emotional tribute to “Smitty” in the Shelbyville Democrat a few days following the murder.

And the suspects didn’t. Upon discovery less than an hour later, troopers searched the four for weapons. Mary Ward stood barefoot, her shoes lost in the mud, and the teens, already disheveled, faced the raw wrath of Smith’s friends and peers. With the boys handcuffed, hands behind them, the girls were cuffed together, and the walk back to the road, which the Indiana Supreme Court later said should have taken six or seven minutes “at an ordinary pace,” instead lasted nearly half an hour while Price was flattened to the ground “at least seven or eight times” and “hit in the face 25 or 30 times” and Johnson received similar treatment, not only from police but from local civilians.

“You can dish it out, now see if you can take it,” one officer yelled.

The beating and cursing continued once they reached Arnold’s barn lot by the road, on 350 N just east of 100 W, and persisted on the drive to the Shelby County jail, on to State Police headquarters in Indianapolis, and then back to Shelbyville. A State witness later testified that all four “appeared remorseful and dejected” and that the boys “appeared submissive to the same degree as any little boy when he does something wrong.”

But the officers’ anger soon turned to sadness, evidenced by Junken’s tribute, which noted that “the boys all agree that our city hall will never be quite the same again,” adding that he “saw several unashamed tears fall as the full impact of what had happened hit them.”

In addition to his coworkers, Smith left behind esteemed family members, including his brothers, Winston and Raymond Smith, and a sister, Mrs. Winifred Kelley. His wife, Virginia, had three sisters: Goldie Craig, who served as a Shelbyville High School secretary for years, Helen Longstreet, and Mary Ruth Heck.

Despite the passage of time, Betty Parker, a Shelbyville resident, remembers details from that last lunch.

“My brother (Gordon, then 12) and I had to go back to school so (Smith) dropped us off,” Parker said.

Betty’s parents, the Kelleys, lived with Herb’s parents, Robert and Ruby Smith. With Robert already critically ill from heart trouble, and the family fearing news of his son’s death might be more than he could bear, the Smiths went to great lengths to keep him in the dark, telling Robert that Herb was out of town on a work assignment.

“I can’t imagine what it was like for my grandmother the day of the funeral,” Parker said.

Remarkably, Robert lived four more months, never realizing his son had been killed.

Although Ruby didn’t attend her son’s funeral in an effort to pacify her unsuspecting husband, about 150 state troopers did. The Indianapolis Star wrote that Smith’s “dark casket, almost covered by a great sheaf of red roses, was carried out of the Trees’ residence, 923 Jefferson Ave., Shelbyville, by six state policemen.”

The procession from Shelbyville to Fairland passed the cornfield where the four teens had hidden.

“At every crossroad stood a state trooper, and others stood guard at the railroad crossing,” journalist Mary Bostwick wrote for the Star. “Farmers stopped working in their fields and barnyards and farm wives dropped their tasks temporarily to watch the procession pass.”

Rev. George Curtis waited at the door of the Fairland Christian Church, described in the Star as “a picturesque building of dull red brick topped by a square belfry and surrounded by leafless elms and maples.” Smith rested inside an open casket, in a gray civilian suit, wearing his Masonic apron.

Following a brief funeral, the procession wound to Forest Hill, where “the crowd shuffled through dead leaves up a hillside to where graveside services were held under a marquee,” The Star said. C. Omer Mings and Bernard Dawson led Masonic burial rituals.

Prosecutor Harold Meloy charged the four teens with murder, holding them without bail, and the case proceeded to a grand jury. A change of venue was granted and Shelby County taxpayers eventually reimbursed Columbus $4,941, equivalent to nearly $56,000 in today’s money, for the cost of the trials. Pleading not guilty, Price and Johnson were tried jointly, as well as Hornback and Ward. The boys were found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life in prison. Hornback and Ward were sentenced 2 to 21 years.

But the murder of a state trooper notwithstanding, none of the four teens served relatively long sentences.

William Francis Price was given clemency by Governor Matthew Welsh, a decision criticized by state police and The Indianapolis Star, and paroled in 1968 at 38 years old. He married, had three children, and worked in the shipping department at Sprague Devices, an automotive factory in Michigan City. He died in 1986 at 54 years old of a heart attack.

William Vincent Johnson’s sentence was overturned by the Indiana Supreme Court, Johnson v. State, in 1948, who cited the police beating as a mitigating factor. He instead pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was released with time served.

Johnson’s ex-wife of over 20 years, Marilyn, who’s current last name is withheld to protect her privacy, laughed heartily when I asked where they met.

“At church,” she said. While Marilyn was away from her hometown of Evansville, attending college in Texas, Johnson started attending Bible Center Pentecostal Church in Evansville.

“My best friend wrote me that this good-looking, nice young man had started attending,” she said in a phone interview. A blind date was arranged and on the second date, Johnson told her about the incident in Shelbyville.

“I thought he was a changed person,” Marilyn said. Johnson volunteered with a boxing program and religious nonprofit work. “He had a tender heart.”

Johnson worked as a barber, a trade he learned in prison, and started a family in 1957. He and Marilyn had three daughters. “He did walk the straight and narrow for about 14 years,” she said.

Just to be sure, the FBI monitored Johnson’s whereabouts. Now-retired Indiana State Trooper Terry Hedges found this out as a rookie, when he went to the nearest barbershop for a haircut. Johnson, the barber, asked Hedges if he was a state trooper. Hedges shared that he was new to the area. As he exited the shop, Hedges was approached by a vehicle driven by a man with red hair and in a business suit. The man introduced himself as Jim Bradbury, FBI. Hedges listened intently to Bradbury’s story about Johnson. “To this day I let my sister cut my hair,” Hedges said in an email.

Johnson’s daughter, Jane Shoup, whose romance novels can be found in the state library’s Evergreen system, said that her father was gregarious. “It was said, ‘Bill Johnson doesn’t cut hair, he talks it off!’”

Despite Shoup’s pleasant early childhood memories, friends from Johnson’s past reentered his life. He was convicted of burglary and a host of other crimes in 1985. Marilyn took their three daughters to see Johnson weekly, before their divorce. “I feel my children were raised in prison,” she said.

The crimes continued until a few years before his death in December 2017. He spent his last years in North Carolina, moving to be closer to Shoup and his grandkids, becoming part of every birthday, holiday, and band concert.

“Dad left his world without money or possessions, but having lived his life his way,” Shoup said. “He helped several people and was loved by friends.”

Vera Hornback served a minimum two-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter and was released on parole from the Women’s Prison in Indianapolis. She married twice, had several children, and died in December 2016.

Mary Ruth Ward Jeffreys also served the minimum sentence and was released on parole. She married briefly, had one daughter, and died December 1979.

Despite the passage of time, reminders of Smith’s service include not only the highway memorial signs, but also Smitty, the K-9 partner of Trooper Jonathan Haugh, a Shelbyville resident.

“I thought since (Indiana State Police) is giving me a great opportunity by being one of their K-9 handlers, I could give back a little by naming my canine after a trooper who has given the ultimate sacrifice,” Haugh said in an earlier press release.

Thus, the words of Gene Junken, penned in 1946, remain true: “So long, Herb, and we will be thinking of you.”

NOTEBOOK:

A vehicle struck an apartment building on Blue River Way at Loper Ponds. The driver said she accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The building sustained damage, and the property manager made arrangements to secure the building. The fire department contacted a building inspector to review the structure.
As is typical this time of year, home sales were down last month compared to October. There were 30 home sales in Shelby County in November, down from 46 the prior month and 35 in November 2023.
Thank you to every donor for your continued support as The Addison Times forges ahead to fund 2025 and beyond. We will once again provide a quarterly publication with extra news and photos in 2025 as a gift for your support of $100 or more. This past year, we’ve covered city and county meetings, our students, local business, primary and general elections, commercial and residential development, and, of course, daily local history. Please consider a one-time or monthly donation to The Addison Times, either online or via a check to The Addison Times, 54 W. Broadway, #13, Shelbyville, Ind., 46176. Thank you for your continued support of daily local news and history. I appreciate each of you. - Kristiaan Rawlings, Editor

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NATIONAL NEWS: Caitlin Clark made the most of any WNBA player ever last year at $11.1 million, but only 1 percent of that came from her WNBA salary, which after bonuses came out to $100,000. The real money came in the form of an estimated $11 million in endorsement revenue after cutting deals with Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, Wilson, Hy-Vee, Xfinity, Gainbridge, Lilly and Panini. The Nike money — an eight-year deal worth over $3 million a year — constitutes the bulk of that. This is a pretty significant phenomenon in women’s sports, with athletes making a strikingly low percentage of their money from their actual salary: Simone Biles earns 99 percent of her money from sponsors, and freeskier Eileen Gu made only 0.3 percent of her $22.1 million in earnings from direct compensation. (Sportico/Numlock)
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Majorettes Began New Tradition in 1941

Editor’s note: The following history article appeared in The Courier, May 1975.

In 1941, two events happened which affected the Shelbyville community: the bombing of Pearl Harbor which precipitated World War II and the formation of the first corps of SHS Majorettes.

The War has long since ceased, but the majorettes are a larger and more important part of the SHS Band.

Since the beginning of the band, there had always been only three majorettes, but, in 1941, the three majorettes, Margaret Morgan, Ruth Stader and Letty Lawrence McDarby, initiated six other girls in the corps, which would be the beginning of a SHS tradition.

There were only six girls who tried out, and they were automatically on the squad. They were Virginia Meyers, Loretta Cherry, Jackie Solar, Mavern Courtney, Jeanette Linder and Barb Andrews. Some of the girls I've just mentioned are relatives of students here now. The very first three that started the six were then in a position as head majorettes. They showed the newcomers all new routines under the direction of the band director, Martin Schulz.

Even back in 1941, the girls marched in the same places as they do today; half-time shows were presented at basketball and football games, and they appeared in parades and at programs.

Their uniforms would be considered “primitive” by today's standards. They were short-sleeved white blouses and black pleated skirts. Their first shoes were brown and white saddle oxfords with rubber soles to help preserve the gym floor. The next shoes were still the saddle oxfords, but they had white oil cloth over them, and it was wrapped around their legs up to the knees, thus, making “boots.”

Boots weren't the only makeshift item. Batons were polished hollow pipes with a solid red rubber ball on one end. On the other end was a black chair-leg cap to make it balance a little more.

The flag was presented at basketball games. Two selected girls brought it in, and the rest escorted it onto the gym floor and raised it.

There was an incident that happened that year, and I doubt if it has happened since. At a basketball half-time show, Miss Courtney Chambers' rubber ball came off her baton and rolled over to Miss Cherry Cord, who tried to roll it back to her but she kicked it too hard. The rubber ball went all the way across the gym floor.

SHS Courier Archive Highlights:

Oct. 27, 1954, Part II

A Glee Club was formed at SHS. Elected officers were Jim McKeand, Larry Killen, John Reece and Gail Coulson. Others who had attended the first meeting were Mike Douglas, Dick Wilson, Chuck Thompson, Lawrence Grubb, Todd Kuhn, Dave Soller, Jim Dodds, Kenneth Norvell, Jack McDaniel, Paul Meltzer and Dan Bass.
The GAA had a wiener roast at Caryl Mullen’s home. Girls who attended were Mullen, Linda Weicks, Carol Hill, Annette Dellekamp, Nadine Dellekamp, Sharon Lusk, Pat Wagner, Bonnie Megerle, Joan Fields, Judy Small, Elizabeth Tucker, Marlene Barnes, Nancy Mann, Peggy Sandefur, Zoe Cooper, Susie Sarringhaus, Shirley Minor, Carolyn Karmire, Rosie Mohr, Pat Mardis, Joyce Wright and Alyce Murphy. Special guests were Becky and Johnny, Mrs. Ramey’s two children, and Caryl’s dog, Spooky.
The Bears beat Seymour, 14-12, in a football match. Bob McNew ran in for a 24-yard touchdown, and Willie Wilson kicked the extra point. The team’s second touchdown came when Cowherd laterelled to Dick Moorhead, who ran it in. Wilson again made the kick.
The Tindall twins, SHS sophomores, placed first and second in a ping-pong tournament held at The Rec. Jack defeated his brother Jim in the finals.

This Day in Shelby County History

News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.

2014: Vine Street Methodist Church, 105 N. Vine St., had closed, and the building put on the market. In the 1950s, the church had about 150 members. Membership had dwindled to fewer than 10, and the operation couldn’t be sustained. The building was constructed in 1899 after 16 charter members had been meeting in an old and abandoned Presbyterian mission church building at the northwest corner of Vine and E. Franklin St.

2004: A heifer belonging to Bill Doig earned senior champion honors at a North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville. Bill was the son of William A. and Leslie Doig, Waldron.

1994: The Salvation Army closed its thrift store at 922 E. McKay Road. The store had opened in 1991. The Salvation Army’s other thrift store location, on E. Washington St., would remain open.

1984: Breakfast with Santa was held at the Cambridge Inn Cafeteria in the Belaire Center. Tickets were $1.50. The event featured storytelling, treats, gifts and gift wrapping.

1974: Grand opening was held at 4-D Electric Supply’s new show room, 1121 St. Joe, east of The Ranch.

1964: A machine that made new bullets out of old ones was installed in the City Hall basement. Police Lt. Charles Miner operated the machine, which pressed out the old primer cap, inserted a new one, loaded a charge of powder and pressed the bullet into place. The new cartridges were reloaded and fired by officers at the FOP practice range.

1954: Former Indiana Governor Henry Schricker spoke at the Shelby District Boy Scout annual banquet. Local attorney Harold Meloy was the event toastmaster.

Cahn’s Smith Department Store, 9 Public Square, caught fire, destroying all contents of the building. The fire had started in the basement and caused combustible material, including clothing, to burst into flames as it moved upstairs. David Cahn said he hoped to re-open at the same location, but there was no way to re-open in time for Christmas.

1944: Four more Shelby County men were inducted into the U.S. armed forces: Herbert Siefert, Robert Parish, Bobby Ash and James Toll. Each received a fountain pen, paid for through public donations.

1934: A Junior Shakespeare Club was organized, with Mrs. Vernie Dill, who lived on Boggstown Road, named supervisor. Dill had taught English and dramatics, and had completed Shakespeare courses at Butler University. The club was open to all grade levels.

“Expulsion from Addison Township of 74 persons who have moved into the township within the last year and who have become public burdens was asked yesterday by 13 suits filed by (the) township trustee,” The Republican reported. The families ranged in size from three to nine people. “The complaints aver, in each instance, that the defendants moved to Shelbyville within the last year and that they should be returned to the places from which they came.” Those places included Johnson County, Ind.; Anderson, Ind.; and Arkansas.

1924: City Council discussed installing an automatic electric signal device for the regulation of traffic. The council decided to wait until after the new year to further discuss the trend taking off in other cities because the 1924 budget would not allow for installation of the cement bases necessary for the lights. The public was mostly in favor of traffic lights, council members said.

1914: The Hotel Jackson, formerly Ray Hotel, was undergoing complete interior redesign. The lobby had been modernized, including installation of seven swinging chandeliers and leather chairs to replace the old wood armchairs.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory

OBITUARIES

Donald Eston Robbins, O.D., 78, of Shelbyville, passed away Friday, November 15, 2024, while on a cruise with his wife, Molly, in DaNang, Vietnam. He was born April 10, 1946, in Anderson, the son of William E. and Annabelle (Carpenter) Robbins. On June 28, 1975, he married his wife of 49 years, Molly K. Shannon, and she survives. In addition to Molly, Don is survived by his daughter, Michelle Lynn Robbins of North Carolina and Amy Carlson of Florida; son, Thomas Eston Robbins of Shelbyville; brother-in-law, Ned Shannon and wife, Josie, of Indianapolis; sister-in-law, Beth Oonk of Charleston, South Carolina; and several grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Don loved and leaves behind his golden retrievers, Betsey and Sally. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Gordon Robbins; and father-in-law and mother-in-law, Robert and Elizabeth Shannon. Don was also preceded in death by his goldens, Katie, Sarah and Ted.

In 1964, Don graduated from Anderson High School. He continued his education at Indiana University receiving his Bachelor of Arts in 1968, Bachelor of Science in 1969 and Doctor of Optometry (OD) in 1971.

Don was a member of Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church.

He was in private practice for 46 ½ years, beginning his career of General Optometry in Shelbyville. Don was Board Certified in ocular disease. He participated in school vision screening since 1974. He was also a very active member of the Indiana Optometric Association where he served as Secretary-Treasurer for 1984-1985, Vice President for 1985-1986, President-Elect 1986-1987, President 1987-1988, and numerous committees since 1972; American Optometric Association; Whitewater Valley Optometric Society; American Optometric Association Federal Relations Committee from 1988 to 1996 and 1999 to 2001; American Optometric Association designated trainer for implementation of the Medicare Fee Schedule - 1992; Participant American Optometric Association Blue Chip Conference - 1988; Participant American Optometric Association Continuum of Excellence Conference - 1989; Past Vision Care Consultant for Indiana Vision Service Plan 1983 to 1985; Past Board Member of Indiana Vision Service Plan 1979 to 1982; Meritorious Service Award of the Indiana Optometric Association 1979 and 1987; Distinguished Service to Optometry Award of the Indiana Optometric Association 1995; Indiana Optometrist of the Year 1990; Indiana Optometric Association Legislative Service Award 1991; Past chairman Indiana Optometric Association Department of Public Information; Past member Indiana Optometric Association Department of Conventions and Meetings; Member Indiana Optometric Association I-Task Force; Past Co-Chair I-CARE PAC; Past member Vision Screening Committee of the Indiana Department of Education; Past Chairman Indiana Optometric Association’s School Screening Implementation Task Force 1986-1987; Past chairman Indiana Optometric Association Department of Legal Affairs; Speaker for Indiana Optometric Association’s Medicare Conference – 1992; Past Chairman and current member of the Indiana Optometric Association Pre-Legislative Task Force; Member American Medical Association Health Care Professionals Advisory Committee – AMA Specialty Society RVS Committee Advisor 1993-1996; Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee member representing the Indiana Optometric Association from 1996 to 2001; Member Review Panel for Indiana Optometric Association Clinical Practice Guidelines; and Incorporator and Vice-President-Indiana Eye Care Network, Inc. where he was Chairman of External Affairs Committee and Clinical Affairs Committee.

Don was also a vital part of the Shelbyville community and held many positions including Past President Knothole Baseball, Past President Jaycees, Past President Sertoma Club, Member Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, and Member Lion’s Club. He also served his community as a past member of the Shelbyville Central School Board-President 1983-1984. Don was also a member of the Indiana School Boards Legislative Committee – 1986, Shelbyville Lion’s Eye Bank Committee, and President of Shelbyville Middle School Building Corporation; and a life member of the Indiana University Alumni Association.

Don was a fan of Indiana University basketball and football, the Indianapolis Colts and the LA Dodgers. On July 6, 1961, Don was in the Babe Ruth World Series, pitching a no hitter for an 18-0 win.

He enjoyed playing golf, traveling around the world and working in his yard. One memorable event for Don and Molly, was their 25^th Anniversary trip to Scotland and Ireland, where Don played golf at Carnoustie and Saint Andrews Golf Courses.

The Celebration of Don’s Life will be at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, December 12, 2024, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1201 N. Riley Highway, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Friends and family may gather from 12:30 until the time of service, with Father Steven Giovangelo officiating. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1201 N. Riley Highway, Shelbyville, Indiana or for the Facility Dog at Shelbyville High School, in care of Brad Morgan, 2003 S. Miller St., Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Don’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.

Sheila Darlene Rutherford, 70, of Noblesville, formerly of Shelbyville, passed away Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at Riverview Hospital in Noblesville. She was born October 10, 1954, in Shelbyville, the daughter of Henry Everett and Betty Justine (Applegate) Abel. Sheila is survived by her sons, Jason Rutherford and wife, Kretia, of Oneida, Tennessee, and Chad Rutherford of Noblesville; sister, Sheryl A. Moore and husband, Bill, of Floyds Knob; brothers, Alan W. Abel and wife, Joy, of Lafayette, and Paul L. Abel and wife, Isilda, of Salt Lake City, Utah; grandchildren, Alison, Zane, Madeline and Morgan; and numerous nieces and nephews including Terri (Abel) Bodine. She was preceded in death by her parents; and brothers, Maynard L. Abel, Neil E. Abel and David G. Abel.

In 1972, she graduated from Shelbyville High School. Sheila was a member of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church. She retired as an accountant for Prairie View Golf Course, in 2013. Sheila enjoyed traveling, especially to Florida, to spend time with her friends and family.

Gathering of friends and family will be from 10 a.m. to Noon, Monday, December 9, 2024 at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Memorial services will follow at Noon, with Rev. Dr. Robb Barlow officiating. Inurnment will be at London Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Riverview Hospital Infusion Center, 395 Westfield Road, Noblesville, Indiana 46060. Online condolences may be shared with Sheila’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.

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