Louis A. "Louie" Kinker

Louis A. Kinker, known to many as Louie, age 88 of Greensburg, Indiana, passed away on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at his home. Born February 23, 1936, in Greensburg, he is the son of Harry and Anna (Nee: Duvelius) Kinker. He married Theresa Ollier of Batesville, Indiana on March 3, 1962, in Enochsburg, Indiana. This union brought forth three children Kirt, Kimberly, and Kristine. He attended the New Point School in New Point, Indiana. Louis joined his late wife Theresa, who preceded him in death just two months and two days earlier on February 26, 2024, and after almost 62 years together he needed to be with her again. Louis served his country in the US Army, and he received an honorable discharge early, in order to help his father on the homestead. Louie grew up on the homestead farm near Enochsburg helping with the daily chores including feeding the livestock which in return fed the family and helped with the planting and harvesting of the crops. All of this hard work at a young age instilled a great work ethic that he would pass onto his children, something that is very rare at this present time. “Thanks Dad”! Louie delivered milk around to the local counties before working for several years at the Fernald plant. He then went on to work for the City of Batesville at the Batesville Water and Gas Utility Company until his retirement all while continuing to crop farming. After retiring, Louis and Theresa spent several years as a snowbird in Zephyrhills, Florida, where you could witness several rounds of dominos. When Louie was not working, you could find him with a fishing rod in his hands, bird hunting with his dog Buddy (one of the best bird dogs in this region), bowling at Huser’s in Batesville, playing cards at Chippy’s (what is now the Midtown Diner in New Point). Louie would eat breakfast several times a week at that diner and if one would have asked him, he probably played cards at the same table that he ate breakfast at (“a man of little change”). He took up the game of golf and was a member of the North Branch Golf Course and its men’s league for many years. Louie enjoyed his sports, and you could say that his favorite sporting color was RED. He loved his IU basketball, as well as his Cincinnati Reds. He would lie in bed with his 3x5 inch transistor radio and listen to the play-by-play action until you would hear the words “and this one belongs to the Reds”. He also enjoyed watching his own children play at their sporting events. Louie had another color that he was passionate about and that was John Deere Green. All of his farming equipment and his lawn mowers sported that beautiful color. Louie took pride in his yard and had an obsession with dead leaves and dandelions. He would often say “NO LEAVES IN MY YARD”, but someone should have told him that he lived by a woods. Louie had a passion for gardening, which was something he had as a child as well. His gardening and Theresa’s canning and freezing of the veggies fed the family until the next summer’s harvest. He also enjoyed spending time in the woods mushroom hunting, digging horseradish, and cutting wood. He is survived by his son Kirt (Doris Gumino – fiancé’) Kinker of Durango, Colorado; daughters Kimberly Kinker and Kristine (Greg) Brown, all of Batesville; grandchildren Danielle, Cody, and Brian, all of Durango, Colorado and Kyle who is serving his country in the US Navy stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; great grandchildren Gavin and Jakob of Durango, Colorado, and sister Rosemary Cook of Batesville. In addition to his parents and his wife Theresa, he was preceded in death by his brother Omer Kinker and sisters Loretta Kinker, Julia Pumphrey, Margaret Mollaun, Leona Moeller, and Virginia Heck. Calling is Wednesday, May 8th, from 4 – 7 p.m., at the funeral home. A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, May 9th, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church – St. John Campus in Enochsburg, with Fr. Bill Ehalt officiating. The burial will follow in the church cemetery with military graveside rites being conducted by the Ripley County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3183 and by the Prell-Bland American Legion Post #271 of Batesville. Memorial contributions may be made to help fund a mission trip to an orphanage located in Zambia, Africa, that Kirt Kinker and Doris Gumino will be joining or to the St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.

Louis A. "Louie" Kinker

February 23, 1936 - April 28, 2024