John A. Dilts

FUNERAL SERVICES: 3:00 p.m. Friday January 8, 2016 at Sandy Hook United Methodist Church 1610 Taylor Road Columbus, IndianaOFFICIATING CLERGY: Rev. Ronald RussellVISITATION: 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Friday at the churchMEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: HPI, Boy Scouts of America or Our Hospice of South Central Indiana To view John's memorial video, please CLICK HEREJohn A. Dilts, 86, of Columbus, died at 12:30 p.m. Monday, January 4, 2016, at his residence. John was born in 1929, in Columbus, the son of Fred and Mary Dilts. He married Florine Guinn June 1, 1949 in Columbus while on leave from the U.S. army. He is survived by his wife. While attending Garfield Grade School, John was on the basketball team. He graduated from Columbus High School in 1948 with “12 A’s” Honors Society and was on the golf team. John was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1948 and specialized in .50 caliber anti-aircraft tanks. He served as a corporal in Germany as radio support to the Korean War until his discharge in 1951. John worked as Schiff’s Shoes manager in Columbus, Richmond and Warsaw, Indiana and then designed mufflers for Arvin’s in the mid 1950’s. Many may remember him as the snow cone man in the 1960’s when he drove an El Camino truck through neighborhoods while selling snow cones. Retiring from Cummins Engine Company in 1991 after 34 years of service, John was a technical writer of PT fuel pump manuals. He also served as chauffer for J.I. Miller to the Indianapolis airport. John “retired” in 2011 from HPI (Housing Partnership Incorporated) after 20 years of volunteering every Wednesday helping to build houses for the poor. He also went to Homestead, Florida, the Louisiana Bayou and Wisconsin Lake Superior Indiana Reservation to help build houses. John was a life-time member of Sandy Hook United Methodist church, which was Wertz United Methodist Church and Wertz EUB (Evangelical United Brethren). He served as an usher for 50 years and drove the church bus for many years on trips to Washington D.C., Niagara Falls and many other trips. He was a founding member of Chigger Diggers Wertz church camping group. For ten years, he made trips to Red Bird Mission in coal mining country, eastern Kentucky to build and repair houses for the poor. He was also active in the Boy Scouts as a scout leader on both council and troop levels from around 1960 until 1977.   Survivors include his wife, Florine; daughters, Linda (Larry) Grimsley of Columbus and Julie (Dale) Stelting of Nashville; son, Brian (Lynette) Dilts of Columbus; grandchildren, Lindsey Jones, Loren French, Zac Stelting, Samantha Stelting McNamara, Brandon Dilts and Michael Dilts; and eight great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; and two children, Suzan Jo Dilts and Steven Michael Dilts.