Theodore Ross "Ted" Willits

Theodore Ross “Ted” Willits, 97, of Greenfield, Indiana, passed away peacefully Sunday, December 8, 2019.

Ted was born December 12, 1921 to Donald Pray and Hilda Ballard (Ross) Willits in Hancock County, Indiana in the home of his grandfather, Walter E. Ross. Ted spent his early years at the farm until his father’s work moved them to the east side of Indianapolis. In 1935, he moved back to Hancock County to live and work with Paul and Julia Oldham on their farm adjacent to the Ross home. He attended Charlottesville High School, graduating in the spring of 1939.

Ted proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Medical Technician on the 23rd Army Hospital Train, providing care and transportation for injured soldiers throughout Europe. Upon his return, he continued to work at the Oldham/Ross farms, where he would spend the next 70 years of his life. He married Mary Elizabeth Kidwell on July 24, 1949 at Charlottesville United Methodist Church.

A gifted mechanic, Ted was never without his tools or a project in the works, and his workshop was always in order. An equally talented gardener, his beautiful flowers graced the church altar each Sunday, and when service was over, he would often take the flowers to homebound parishioners or the local cemetery. Ted was a reliable, honorable man with an insatiable curiosity, a dry sense of humor, and the spirit of a storyteller. He was deeply devoted to his wife of 58 years, as well as to his faith. As he liked to say, he wore out two Bibles in his lifetime and was working on the third.

Ted is survived by his brother, Richard E. Willits (Abbie) of Plymouth (MN); three daughters: Linda Sykes (Greg) of Indianapolis, Ellen Willits-Smith (Steve Smith) of Parkville (MO), and Virginia Johnson (Mike) of New Castle; seven grandchildren: Amanda Schnepp (Joe) of Bargersville, Bryan Sykes of Columbus (OH), Julia Crenshaw-Smith of Austin (TX), Amelia Willits-Smith of New Orleans (LA), Jonathan Johnson (Brooke) of Connersville, Jennifer Fox (Jeremy) of New Castle, and Julie Turner (Matt) of Pendleton; and eight great-grandchildren: Corinne and Andrew Schnepp, Rebecca and Ryan Johnson, Jillian and Jacob Fox, and Maddy and Katie Turner.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Elizabeth; his sister, Betty Blackmire; and three brothers: Burt, Bill, and Walter Willits.

A visitation will be held Thursday, December 12 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service, Knightstown Chapel. Funeral services will be at 11 am on Friday with calling one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Glen Cove Cemetery with military rites to be conducted by the Indy Metropolitan Military Honor Guard and a contingent of the U.S. Army.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ted’s name to Charlottesville United Methodist Church, PO Box 192, Knightstown, IN 46148. Condolences and memories of Ted may be shared at www.hinsey-brown.com .