Kenneth Edward Etter

Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Ken grew up in Fowler, Indiana, where he loved playing basketball and baseball. He graduated high school in 1962 and headed to Indiana University in Bloomington where he created many fond memories with his Delta Tau Delta brothers until he graduated in 1966 with his business degree. He married later that year and joined the Marine Corps Reserves. Ken was stationed at Camp Pendleton and then Lake Hurst, New Jersey. Utilizing his business degree, he took a position at the Chicago-based United States Gypsum Corporation. As he advanced up the corporate ladder, the job took him from Arlington, IL, to Sweetwater, TX, where he was a member of the Lions Club and Jaycees, to Jacksonville, Florida.

Drawn back in the Midwest with a desire to own his own business, he opened the Kokomo location of the family owned Etter Tire Service in 1973. After several years of working in the tire industry, Ken longed to be outside and purchased Newby’s Lawn are Service where he worked until he retired in 2018.

Kokomo became his lifelong home. Ken was a member of Saint Joan of Arc Catholic church. He raised his three children in Green Acres where he was the co-owner and corporation president of the golf course from 1977 to 1982. He was an avid supporter of his children’s sports and contributed significantly to their programs and teams as a sponsor, coach and devoted parent. He was a master of witty banter and loved to play games including euchre, backgammon and HORSE. He was always looking for ways to keep his mind sharp. He enjoyed fishing, golfing, IU Basketball and the Chicago Cubs. Always a fan of the sunshine state, he was fortunate to snowbird down to Florida to his fishing property on Lake Okeechobee.

His memory will be cherished by his surviving family members including his son Matt Etter (Saskia) of Chapel Hill, NC, his daughter Debbie Fedorczyk of Longmont, CO, and son Chris Etter (Eva) of Bloomington, IN; his four granddaughters: Heidi, Anne, Clara and Lauren; his former wife Sally Etter of Bloomington, IN; his siblings David Etter (Ellie), James Etter and Joyce Schellschmidt (Ed); and several nieces and nephews.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Lottie Etter; sister-in-law, Rose Etter; and nephew, Jeff Etter.

The family will host a Celebration of Life on his birthday November 24th at the Foxes Trails located at 305 S Main St, Kokomo, IN 46901 at 4:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks to please consider planting a tree in one of the National Parks that Ken loved to visit: https://shop.alivingtribute.org/collections/a-living-tribute/products/plant-a-tree-ecertificate. Notify the family by forwarding the certificate to [email protected].

Neptune Society is in charge of cremation arrangements.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/indianapolis-cremation for the Etter family.