John W Rutherford

John W. Rutherford, 85, of New Castle, passed away Thursday, March 5, 2015 at Glen Oaks Health Campus. He was born September 3, 1929 in Henry County, Indiana to the late Bill and Florence (Jay) Rutherford.

John was raised on a farm and farmed briefly until he co-founded and was proprietor of the Rose Bowl in New Castle until his retirement. He was a member of Blue River Optimist Club and served as a board member of Blue River Schools and Henry County Memorial Hospital. John was an active member of Mt. Summit Christian Church where he served as a deacon for over 50 years. He was active in various leadership roles in the church and deeply loved his church family. John especially loved serving as a greeter and visiting prospective new family members and the sick in the church. He was also admired for his annual fish fry at the church.

John was a member of the Henry County Bowling Hall of Fame and an avid bowler and bowling coach. He was passionate about baseball, both playing and coaching, and was an avid Cincinnati Reds fan. John played fast pitch softball in the New Castle Industrial League and helped organize the Henry County softball leagues and coached the Mt. Summit Christian Church softball teams for many years. He also coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball.

Survivors include a daughter, Connie (Jeff) Alexander of Muncie; son, Tom (Terry) Rutherford of New Castle; grandchildren, Karen (Kevin) Hedrick, Kevin (Karen) Alexander, Amanda (Matt) Williams, Nathan (Kira) Rutherford, Heidi (Joab) Mejia and Bethany and Lily Rutherford; thirteen great grandchildren; three sisters, Marilyn Kissick of Springport, Carol Ann (Dave) Hamilton of Mt. Summit and Sharon (Duane) Billingsley of Anderson; sister-in-law, Shirley Rutherford of Anderson; brother-in-law, Claude Kissick of Mt. Summit; in-laws, Forrest and Gloria Selvidge of New Castle, Margaret Selvidge of New Castle and Evelyn Selvidge of Greenfield; stepchildren, Cindy (Larry) Bay, Dan (Rosie) Richey and Susie (Mike) Kendall; several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife of 46 years, Lois (Selvidge) Rutherford; second wife of 4 years, Donnie (Richey) Rutherford; brother, Jack Rutherford; sister, Virginia Kissick; two granddaughters, Jennifer and Christina Rutherford.

Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at Mt. Summit Christian Church with Pastor Mark O’Brien officiating. Burial will follow in Mt. Summit Cemetery. Friends may call from 5-9 p.m. Monday at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle and one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorial contributions may be given to the Mt. Summit Christian Church Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 310, Mt. Summit, IN 47361.