Tuesday, December 30, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
SEASON’S GREETINGS
Homes in the 700 block of Colescott Street in Shelbyville remain lit with holiday decorations as the calendar turns toward New Year’s Eve. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville High School boys’ basketball team (8-1) picked up two wins in the Bob Wettig Tournament in Richmond yesterday, defeating the Indy Wildcats, 70-58, and Fort Wayne North, 54-39. The Bears’ Caden Claxton finished with 27 and 24 points, respectively. Mar Nicholson scored 18 and 11, and Brody Runnebohm added 13 and 7. The Golden Bears play Greensburg at 12:30 p.m. today, with the winner advancing to play at 8 p.m. for the tournament championship game.
The Shelbyville Street Department is running regular trash and recycling routes today and tomorrow. There will be no pickup on Thursday, New Year’s Day. Thursday’s trash only will be picked up along with the Friday route’s trash and recycling on Friday.
Live Christmas trees can be disposed of at Sunset Park until Jan. 16. Look for the sign at the east end of the parking lot.
Shelby County Commissioners yesterday approved two requests for fiber duct replacement, along and under County Road S 800 E and along S 200 E and under W 1000 S. Commissioners tabled a duct replacement along S 225 E and E 950 S so that County Highway Superintendent Ben Taylor could discuss making the installation on the east side of the road to avoid potential conflicts with future ditch dredging.
As a follow-up to yesterday’s article about downtown businesses over the holidays, The Addison Times asked Mayor Scott Furgeson about Cagney’s, which is open each Christmas evening. “Christmas week is our best week of the year,” Furgeson, who owns the business, said. “People are out more, and oftentimes people come back into our community and want to stop by (the restaurant).” Cagney’s will be closed on New Year’s Day, when the staff gather for an annual company party.
Today’s Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Public Utility Board meetings have been canceled.
A rear-end crash was reported Saturday evening on Howard Street when a vehicle struck another that had stopped in traffic, causing heavy front-end damage to the striking vehicle and moderate rear damage to the vehicle ahead. The at-fault driver reported brake issues, and the second vehicle, which was driven by a mechanic for a client’s car, was able to be moved from the roadway. The disabled vehicle was towed from the scene.
A two-vehicle crash with injuries was reported Christmas Eve morning at the intersection of South Tompkins Street and West Broadway Street, leaving one vehicle disabled in the intersection and another on the sidewalk. One driver told police he had stopped and was turning when the other vehicle ran a stop sign and struck his truck, while the second driver claimed she had stopped and believed the truck entered the intersection without stopping. A juvenile passenger in the second vehicle was taken to the hospital with an ankle injury, and both vehicles were impounded.
The following marriage applications were filed at the Shelby County Clerk’s office last week: Christopher E. Clark, 48, and April A. Lisby, 45, and Audrey M. Kirk, 27, and Robert A. Bock, 43.
Editor’s Note: Thank you so much to each donor who has generously contributed. The following are among our recent donors: John & Mary DePrez, Pamela Dearinger, Denny & DeLane Ramsey, Sam Stocklin, James & Stephanie Duerstock, Wray Kappes, and Richard & Janice DeHo. (Many of these are on behalf of families.) Reaching our fundraising goal for 2026 will allow us to expand high-quality coverage countywide. Donors of $100 or more receive a commemorative January print edition and donors of $500 or more will be recognized in that edition. Contributions can be made online through our donation form or by mailing a check to The Addison Times, 54 W. Broadway, Ste. 13, Shelbyville, IN, 46176. Again, thank you so much for your loyal support of this endeavor. - Kristiaan Rawlings, Ph.D.
HOOSIER NEWS: AAR Aircraft Services Inc. plans to permanently close its airframe maintenance plant at Indianapolis International Airport, resulting in the termination of 329 employees, according to a notice filed with the state. Layoffs will begin Feb. 15, 2027, and continue in phases through Feb. 28, 2027, with all employees receiving at least 60 days’ notice. The closure follows AAR’s $78 million acquisition of HAECO Americas. (IBJ)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS: A perennial No. 2 in the U.S., Sam’s Club has found a way to beat Costco: Do it in China. Sam’s Club has about 60 stores in China and counting, up from 39 three years ago, as well as a fast-growing e-commerce business. The biggest stores each generate more than $500 million in sales annually, according to Walmart. By contrast, Costco opened its first store in China in 2019 and now has seven locations. The world’s second-largest economy offered Sam’s Club a chance for a do-over. In the U.S., Sam’s Club had long struggled to break away from Walmart’s budget reputation, making it difficult to reach coveted upscale shoppers. In China, with a clean slate and a growing affluent class, Sam’s Club, following Costco’s formula, carved out a niche as a premium chain offering high-quality items hard to find elsewhere. (WSJ)
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This Week in Shelby County Archive
by GEORGE L. STUBBS
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS
This Day in Shelby County History
Local headlines reported on or around this date in Shelby County history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: A wise man had been stolen from a large nativity scene at the Schutt residence more than a mile north of Gwynneville. A clear trail of footprints was visible leading to the manger area and back to the road. Deputies were searching for the culprit.
1995: The Shelbyville News lauded outgoing Mayor Bob Williams’ accomplishments in office, which had included $100 million of expansion at area industrial plants during his watch. Also, Williams “took pride in his choice of department heads, several of whom were asked to stay over for the Republican administration of Betsy R. Stephen,” the editorial said. “That in itself is a tribute.”
1985: Kenneth Nigh was elected president of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. Robert Newton and Marlin Everhart were the other two members. Commissioners voted to give county staff the day off for Martin Luther King Day and removed the holiday Columbus Day, noting that most businesses and industries didn’t give workers Oct. 13 off.
1975: Judge Charles O’Connor, judge of the new County Court, bailiff Betty Worland and court reporter Susie Tillison prepared the courtroom to begin cases when the new year began.
1965: Mr. and Mrs. Billy McCurdy, who lived in a two-story colonial home just southeast of Pleasant View, were hosting three Cuban children as part of a Catholic Charities program to provide foster care for children who had been living at the Cuban refugee camp in Florida.
1955: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church purchased five acres of land just north of the city and began planning for construction. Earl Goodwin, chairman of the building committee, announced the purchase of land from Mrs. E.T. Burnside. St. Luke’s, a mission of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis, had been organized in 1954 and was holding services in the women’s building at the fairgrounds. Other committee members included Robert Orr, Mrs. John C. DePrez, Mrs. Earl Higgins, Ed Kneeland, Marion Chenoweth, Robert Wilde, Mrs. Karl DePrez, Mrs. John McMillan, Barney Rolsma and Jack Reagan. Shelbyville had previously had an Episcopal church, located at the southeast corner of Hendricks and Tompkins streets. Built around 1900, services had been discontinued and the church edifice dismantled in 1916. The brass cross which had been on the altar of the Christ Church was later found in the basement of the Cathedral in Indianapolis and relocated to the altar of St. Luke’s Church.
1945: The first Shelby County baby of 1946 would receive numerous gifts from local businesses, The Republican reported. The newspaper had organized the initiative, which would include many presents and a $2.50 savings account from Farmers National Bank.
1935: The Merchants Association announced that several local stores would close on New Year’s Day, including the J.G. DePrez Co., Todd-Bennett Clothing, Wolf’s Quality Store, S.B. Morris Co., Woolworth’s, Murphy’s, J.C. Penney, Kroger and the A&P grocery store.
1925: The Shelby County Broadcast Listeners Association announced plans for an upcoming meeting in the city building. “All those who have radio sets or who are interested in radio are urged to attend the meeting,” The Republican said. The meeting would cover how to care for and operate radios.
1915: Local traction rail service was cut off when 30 poles north of Fairland fell under the weight of ice on the wires. Traction cars were still operating from Shelbyville to Greensburg, but the combination of ice and five inches of snow had otherwise made traffic “almost impossible,” The Republican reported.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Sharon Sue Coffey, 89, of Shelbyville, passed away on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at The Willows of Shelbyville. She was born March 24, 1936, in Shelbyville, the daughter of Edgar Garner and Vonnie O. (Land) Hurst. On May 5, 1957, she married Don Walter Coffey, and he preceded her in death on February 12, 2017. Sharon is survived by her children, Kathy Jo Thomas and husband, Michael, Mark Alan Coffey and wife, Marti, Nancy Ann Cossairt and husband, Jim, and Jeffrey Alan Coffey and wife, Karla, all of Shelbyville; brothers, Hugh W. Garner and Allen Hurst, both of Milroy, and Duane F. Hurst and wife, Linda, of Scottsdale, Arizona; grandchildren, Lucinda Lynn Best, Charles Frederick Thomas and wife, Christy, Sarah Elizabeth Thomas, Craig J. Coffey, Jessica Lynn Cossairt Henderson and husband, Noah, Emily Rose Bailey and husband, Avery, Andrew James Cossairt, and Mason Dhane Coffey; great-grandchildren, Stephen Todd Trowbridge, Elizabeth Jean Trowbridge, Ava Marie Thomas, Jade Best, James R. Cossairt, Norabelle Henderson and Callum Bailey; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to Don, Sharon was preceded in death by her parents; step-father, Francis J. Hurst; and sisters-in-law, Ruth Garner, Jerry Hurst and Jean Leffew-Waltz.
In 1954, Sharon graduated from Milroy High School, and continued her education becoming a medical technician. Sharon was a member of the Moscow Christian Church, and had formerly been a member of the Evangelical United Church of Christ in Shelbyville. She had retired from DePrez, Robinson and Schooley Attorney at Law. Sharon had previously worked for Sue Kitchen Realty, Marcia Kuhn Realty, Insight Realty and Grigsby Realty. Sharon was also a member of Rush County Homemakers Club, where she had served as president. She enjoyed spending time with her family, going to church and researching genealogy. Sharon also enjoyed volunteering at the Benesee Cancer Center at Major Health Partners. She was a 4-H leader for a number of years.
Gathering of Friends and Family will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Moscow Christian Church, 9098 S. River Road, Milroy, Indiana 46156.
A Memorial Service will follow at 11:30 am, at the church, with Bruce Pierce and George Huff officiating. Inurnment will be at Moscow Cemetery, followed by the Celebration of Sharon’s life in the church hall. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville.
Memorial contributions may be made to Moscow Christian Church; Cancer Association of Shelby County, PO Box 844, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176; or Shelbyville-Shelby County Public Library, Genealogy Department, 57 W. Broadway St., Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Sharon’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.