Michael A. Amrhein's Obituary
Michael A. Amrhein, age 82 of Batesville, Indiana passed away Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at Margaret Mary Health in Batesville. Born June 11, 1941, in Connersville, Indiana, he is the son of Maurice and Fern (Nee: Eckerle) Amrhein. He married Donna Etherington on April 4, 1970, at St. Jude Catholic Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mike was a Catholic Educator for over 30 years in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and most recently as the Principal of St. Louis School in Batesville. He later worked part-time as a Courier for Margaret Mary Health. He was a member of St. Louis Catholic Church and a family charter member of the Southeastern Indiana YMCA.
Mike was married to Donna for 54 years - they stood together through thick and thin, good times and bad, and defined what it means to be a family. He taught his kids the most important things in life – Faith and Family (and probably Fishing and Football) and left an indelible mark on so many people’s lives. He rarely said a cross word about anyone…in today’s hyper-reactive world, Mike was a thoughtful, careful and wise-chooser of his words and he understood that reacting with wisely chosen words was a grace.
Mike led and touched thousands of students and teachers lives throughout his career as an Educator and Leader. He taught his children how to lead and what leadership looks like, and why it is so important to lead even when it isn’t what you want to be doing. He loved hard work and promoted a strong work ethic…he had his kids bailing hay, doing yard work, and cutting wood when they were in middle school.
Mike always took an interest in his children’s friends and even as recently as the day before he passed, was asking how his children’s friends were doing. He was deeply faithful to the Catholic Faith - Sunday Mass was a must and instilled in his family the importance of being a strong Catholic. He relied on Novena’s, prayed the Rosary daily, and often requested the intercession of Saints. His favorite Saint was St. Jude, maybe or maybe not coincidentally, this was the Parish where he married his wife Donna and where he sent his kids to grade school.
Mike believed strongly in the power of athletics (he was a die-hard Indiana Hoosier, Cincinnati Bengals, and Reds fan) and competition - competing in sports was a microcosm of life. He loved watching his kids and grandkids compete and will continue watching his grandkids compete from Heaven. He also loved the outdoors; walking his land was his happy place. Just walking in his woods was his way to reconnect with our Lord, nature and recharge. He loved aviation and attending air-shows, quail-hunting, with fishing as another favorite activity; he was passionate about fishing for smallmouth and loved chasing his quarry at Brookville Lake.
Mike lived well, ate well, taught well, and led well. Rest easy in Heaven - we love you.
He is survived by his wife Donna of Batesville; daughters Christina (James) Ashley of Harrison, Ohio and Sarah (Luke) Foley of Brookville, Indiana; sons David (Jodi) Amrhein of Brookville and Andrew (Corinne) Amrhein of Fishers, Indiana; sister Mary (Tom) Horninger of Brookville; brothers Gary (Bonnie) Amrhein of North Vernon, Steve (Cathy) Amrhein of Batesville, Indiana, Mark (Barbara) Amrhein of Lake Placid, Florida, and Rodger (Ana) Amrhein of Panama City, Panama; grandchildren Eli, Ella, Ashton, and Mia Amrhein, Jacob and Rachel Ashley, and Logan and Ava Foley.
Visitation will be held Friday, May 17th, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 1:00 p.m., at St. Louis Catholic Church in Batesville, with Fr. Stan Pondo officiating. The burial will be in the church cemetery at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Michael Amrhein Scholarship Fund.
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