Kenneth Eugene Van Liew

Kenneth Eugene Van Liew, 88, of Stratton Court, received his crown of life (Rev. 2:10) at 3:20 AM on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.  He passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side.  He was born on June 14, 1930, in Union Springs, New York, the only son of Warren David and Mildred Counsell Van Liew, who preceded him in death.   He is survived by his sister, Beatrice Pierce, of Cambridge, NY. He married Janet Ruth Krumme on Oct. 15, 1960, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seymour, IN by Rev. Victor A. Mack. He is survived by Janet, his loving wife of 58 years; son Michael (Janet Craddock) Van Liew, and their children Chad (Megan Hackman) of Brownstown, IN, Toby and Cortney of Seymour, IN; twin daughters Deborah (Bryan) Todd and their children Erin and Andrew of Brownsburg, IN and Jacqueline (Jeffrey) Stuckwisch and their children Daniel (Leslie Martinez), Sarah, Leah and Matthew of Seymour, IN; son Jeff (Julie Mathias) Van Liew and their children Kyle and Jessica of Brownsburg, IN; and great-granddaughter Annie Katherine Van Liew of Brownstown, IN. Ken entered elementary School at a one-room schoolhouse in Mud Corners, NY, and graduated from Union Springs Central School in 1948. While attending Cornell University he joined Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.  He was Chaplain there, as well as of Cornell Grange.  Ken held all seven degrees awarded by National Grange.  He was vice president of HO-NUN-DE-KAH, the honor society of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Upon graduation from Cornell in 1953, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in Ordnance Corp, US Army.  After graduation from the Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, he became CO of 11th ORD Co. DAS.  He later became Post Motor Transport Officer, both at Fort Dix, NJ.  He was honorably discharged in October 1955, as a 1st Lt. USAR. While at Cummins Engine Company, Ken held several automotive field service positions.  He was the Southern Division Service Manager in Atlanta, GA from 1968-1972.  He represented Cummins on The Maintenance Council (TMC) of American Trucking Association.  He spent two terms on the Board of Directors of TMC.  He was presented with the life-long Silver Spark Award for Excellence in Commercial Motor Vehicle Maintenance.  He retired from Cummins in 1985 after 30 years of service.  He then worked 10 years at Ivy Tech, retiring in 1995. Ken was a member of Grace Lutheran Church.   He was also active with Troop 568, of Boy Scouts of America. He was a thirty-year member of American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) and an eight-year member of American Society of Quality Control (ASQC). Ken loved his Lord, the Christian fellowship of Small Group Bible Study, the men’s Bible study group, and Gospel music.  His favorite Gospel singer was Vestal Goodman.  He enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s ball games.  He also liked IU, Purdue, and Kentucky basketball. His favorite athletes were Mark Martin of NASCAR, Bill Russell of NBA Celtics, Bernie Williams of MLB Yankees, and Tom Brady of NFL Patriots. Funeral service will be at Grace Lutheran Church on Monday, April 29, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.  Visitation is Sunday, April 28, 2019, at Jewell-Rittman Funeral Home from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 9:00 a.m. until time of service at the church.  Burial with Military Honors will take place at Riverview Cemetery, Seymour, on Monday afternoon. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Grace Lutheran Church Building Fund or to Trinity Lutheran High School.