Wednesday, July 2, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
Thurston Remembered for Service to Others
by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
“Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”
That “It’s a Wonderful Life” line was cited by Rev. Perry Richards yesterday at Anne Thurston’s funeral, and by such a measure, Thurston was a notable success. The West Street United Methodist Church pews were filled with family, colleagues and friends undeterred by the light morning rain and dreary skies.
Inside the sanctuary, there was laughter as Thurston was remembered for her love of M&Ms and Temu clothing, “Monty Python-ish” dry sense of humor and for being “the cheeseball queen of sales.” There were tears, too, as the service progressed at the church Thurston served all her life.
The plaster walls, framed stained-glass window and pews that face different directions were a reminder of tradition, a concept Anne loved. The service included congregational singing of hymns such as “I’ll Fly Away” and “Victory in Jesus,” with Sandy Thomas playing the organ. Scot Shrader performed a modified version of “Sweet Child of Mine” in Anne’s honor, and Joni Martzall sang The Lord’s Prayer acapella.
“Worship and ritual were important to Anne,” Rev. Richards said.
Her sister, Linda Sanders, talked about how Anne as a child was afraid of storms. As an adult, Anne looked out for others. “Even recently,” Sanders said, “if there was a storm and I wasn’t in town, Anne would call. ‘Where are you? Are you safe?’ She always watched out for me.”
Despite her tireless work ethic, Thurston struggled physically in recent months while fighting cancer. But she was determined to attend a Festival of Hope in her honor two weeks ago.
“She showed up. She smiled. And I’m so glad she got to see how much she meant to everyone,” Sanders said.
That same contingent showed up again yesterday to say goodbye to a woman who spent her life helping, rather than judging others.
“Let me tell you that Anne Louise Thurston filled her ‘dash’ a hundred times over with love and ministry for our church family, for her community, for her family, for her friends and coworkers,” Rev. Richards said.
When the service concluded, her friends walked past the casket to the pipe organ music of “This Is My Story, This Is My Song.” By then, the sun had broken through the clouds, illuminating the Colescott Street sidewalk as attendees filtered back to their cars.
NEXT UP (OR DOWN)
Cautious demolition work continues yesterday as crews take down the building east of the former Adams Glass location on W. Broadway. | photos by JOHN WALKER
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NOTEBOOK:
Conference realignment is not just for colleges. Several high schools in Central Indiana are moving conferences, as well, IndyStar’s Kyle Neddenriep reported. Beech Grove, Indian Creek, Monrovia, Speedway, Triton Central and Tri-West will begin play this fall as a six-team league in the Hoosier Legends Conference. Greenwood and Shelbyville will join in 2026 to make it an eight-team league. Greenwood will have the highest student enrollment (1,211) in the league, with Shelbyville in second (1,093). Triton Central will be the smallest school (468). Triton Central moved over from the Indiana Crossroads Conference, which had been a combination of private and public schools to join the all-public school Hoosier Legends. Shelbyville has been part of the Hoosier Heritage Conference since 1997. (IndyStar)
City officials have been in regular contact with Dollar General representatives regarding local store properties. The lots are now being mowed every two weeks, but City Code Enforcer Troy Merrick has asked that be ramped up to weekly given the recent rains. Merrick also notified DG of a couple of dead trees on the new East McKay Road site, and the company official is working to get those replaced.
The Board of Works gave the residents at 44 Walker St. two additional weeks to finish cleaning the property. A “for sale” sign is on the property and much work has been done since the board gave two months’ notice. “It is way better than what it was; there’s still some stuff on the side (of the home),” Troy Merrick, city code enforcer, said.
The following alley locations will be paved today and tomorrow: alley from Van Ave. to Noble St.; alley from Evans St. to 4th St.; and the “T” alley behind the 700 block of Locust St., from Locust to South St. and from the alley to Miller Ave.
The City of Shelbyville will now livestream and archive public meetings on its official YouTube channel (go to the Live tab) at youtube.com/@cityofshelbyville. The change comes after Facebook announced it will no longer retain live videos beyond 30 days, while Indiana law requires longer public access. YouTube offers a free, permanent solution, viewable from any device. Residents can still join meetings live via Zoom, with links posted on the city’s website.
HOOSIER NEWS: Indiana University spent nearly $15 million to change basketball coaches. The University agreed to pay former men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson $6.5 million as part of a settlement agreement signed in April. (Woodson has since landed a job with the Sacramento Kings as associate head coach.) The school also covered the cost of new coach Darian DeVries’ buyout at West Virginia, which was believed to be north of $4.6 million. DeVries received a six-year, $27-million deal to become coach with an annual base salary starting at $3.7 million. (IndyStar)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Membership in the Chinese Communist Party has passed the hundred million milestone, with 100,221,000 people in the party as of last year, up from 86,686,000 at the start of Xi Jinping’s leadership in 2013. One possible reason for the swelling ranks of the CCP is that membership makes it much easier to get a job. In December, there were 2.59 million people taking the national civil service exam to fill just 39,700 jobs this year, and another 5.3 million people who applied to take regional-level exams across 23 provinces this year to fill just 166,000 vacancies. Those civil service jobs are coveted positions, and the exams have become incredibly popular lately (just 1,017,000 people took them in 2020). Membership in the party thus taps into the most reliable network in the country. (Wall Street Journal/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
November 12, 1952, Part I
Squib sales were underway. Photography, engraving and printing the Squib was a $3,000 enterprise. Sales only made up half the bill, so funds were raised from basketball concessions and the senior class play. (Editor’s note: The same applies today. The actual cost of the Squib is $73 each. The books are pre-sold for $49 for the first few months of schools. The difference is made up by our loyal supporters: Clark Orthodontics, Blue River Community Foundation, Makuta, Cabell’s Ice Cream, Stephenson Rife, Shelbyville Parks Department, CoreVision, St. Joseph Catholic School, Huntsman Spray Foam Insulation, Blue River Soccer Association, Cossairt Florist, Cagney’s Pizza King, Nance Mosquito Solutions, Sports Locker Room, Knauf, Pest Assassin, Wellman Furnaces, MHP, Dave Childres State Farm, BReelBait, Three Sisters Books & Gifts, Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, A & B Overhead Doors, Kristiaan Rawlings and Larry & Sylvia Spurling.
Mrs. Strait, school nurse, and Mr. Sipe, speech and hearing therapist, tested all seventh and tenth grade students. Thirteen seventh graders and six sophomores were found to have hearing loss.
In-line with the national trend, SHS students showed a preference for Dwight Eisenhower over Adlai Stevenson in a mock vote taken in Social Science and English classes.
Six SHS alumni had won seats in the county election: Jack McClain (treasurer), Cleon McCabe and Oral Ricke (county commissioners), Carson King (state representative), Donald Brunner (prosecutor) and Rohr Smith (surveyor).
Cossairt’s donated roses to every classroom in observanceof National Flower Week.
A new movie screen was installed. “It’s one of those ‘new fangled’ daylight screens. It’s green, has blinders, and has the usual white screen.”
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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.
2005: Keith Turner was hired as the new director for the Blue River Special Education Co-op. Turner hailed from St. Louis.
1995: A new state law gave judges a chance to not only sentence convicted offenders to jail or prison but could make convicts pay for their stay behind bars. Legislators had passed the law to help the state and counties cover the rising cost of housing inmates. “Your average taxpayer shouldn’t pay more and more to incarcerate criminals,” Linder said. “If taxpayers provide high school and college education for inmates, it wouldn’t hurt for inmates to pay back society.” Judge Jack Tandy said he agreed with the law, but it might have limited use. Sheriff Mike Herndon suggested inmates cover $10 a day, creating $180,000 revenue for the jail.
1985: A Bureau of Motor Vehicles device known as the “Seat Belt Convincer” was on display in the SHS lobby. The public was invited to see it. The Seat Belt Convincer was a piece of equipment designed to convince drivers to wear seat belts by simulating a low-speed auto crash and the injuries that could occur.
Conrad Galloway, superintendent of Shelbyville Central Schools for less than two years, announced he was resigning to take a new position in Marion County.
1975: Queen candidates for the upcoming Flat Rock Fireman’s Festival were Carolyn Urbanke, Teresa Smiley, Judy Smiley, Deseret Hamner, Candy Hutchinson and Lisa Roberts.
Installation of a big siren for storm alerts was underway at the top of City Hall. Martin Luther, Mayor Jerry Higgins and Police Chief Robert Williams had spearheaded the project. If it did not provide warning coverage for the entire city, funds were set aside for the purchase of two additional sirens.
1965: Joe Landwerlen and Ed Hilgemier caught a 24-pound flathead catfish in the Flat Rock River.
In keeping with a national tradition started two years’ prior, Mayor Ralph VanNatta called upon citizens to take part in a “ringing of the bells” for four minutes at 1 p.m. on July 4.
1955: SCUFFY officials agreed to fund the Shelby County emergency ambulance until Jan. 1, 1956, at which time taxpayers would take over support.
1945: Mr. and Mrs. Paul Meloy, W. Washington St., received a letter from their son, Yeoman Third Class William Meloy, describing his duties on board a ship in the Pacific. Meloy’s daily job was mimeographing a newspaper and assisting with office work necessary for amphibious landing operations.
Boatswain’s Mate First Class Eugene Robison was listed as missing in action by the Navy Department. The Boggstown High School graduate had served three years on the USS California battleship.
1935: The 151st Infantry band played for about 1,500 people to celebrate the new bandstand at Laura Morrison Park. H. Ernest Kennedy had come up with the idea to build the bandstand.
Four baseball teams would participate in a tourney at Porter’s Camp on July the Fourth. Porter Pool would be open all day. Grocery stores would be open in the morning.
1925: A 160-piece fireworks display to be held on Public Square was set for July 3. Downtown stores would remain open until 9:30 p.m., and the fireworks would begin at 10 p.m. Large flower pots on the square would be used. “Steel mortars have been sent for large bombs which are a part of the display,” The Republican said. “These will be sunk in one of the flower pots.”
1915: The Alhambra had the largest exhaust fan in the Midwest, The Republican reported. The nine-foot-tall fan was installed on the theater ceiling and did not create a humming noise. It cost $600 (approximately $19,000 in today’s money).
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Aaron Michael Smith, 40, of Shelbyville, passed away Friday June 27, 2025, at Franciscan Health Indianapolis. He was born August 29, 1984, in Shelbyville to William Allen Smith and Vickie Lynn (Thurston) Reddick.
Aaron loved to play his video games. He enjoyed getting to ride his bicycle and watching wrestling. The most important thing to Aaron was spending family time with his mother, brother and his dog Shadow. He is survived by his mother, Vickie Reddick (companion, Kenneth Bledsoe); his brother, Robert Smith; his girlfriend, Terena Smith; and his sisters, Haley Smith and Valarie Smith. He was preceded in death by his father and his sister, Amanda Smith.
Visitation will be Saturday, July 5, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Murphy-Parks Funeral Service, 703 S. Harrison Street, Shelbyville, Ind., 46176. Funeral services will follow at 4 p.m. at the funeral home with Rev. Perry Fouts officiating. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks and Stuart Parks are honored to serve Aaron’s family. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.