Kenneth Franklin Noblitt

Kenneth Franklin Noblitt, 79, of Columbus, died at 10:32 p.m. on Saturday June 11, 2016 at Miller’s Merry Manor in Hope. He was born February 18, 1937 in Columbus to the late Roy and Helen (Hill) Noblitt. He married Ruth Dalene Nolting June 21, 1958 and she preceded him in death on January 24, 2006. Ken graduated from Columbus High School with the class of 1954 and joined the U. S. Marine Corp shortly thereafter. He worked for Indiana Bell before being hired by Cummins, Inc. as a draftsman. During his time at Cummins, he furthered his education, earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in engineering from Purdue University. He was involved in the building and design of the Cummins Walesboro plant. After retiring from Cummins in 1984, Ken held positions with Harnischfeger of Wisconsin, Caltherm, Ivy Tech and CEDC. Ken is survived by his four children; Jane Noblitt of Columbus, Grant (Anne) Noblitt of Hope, Kerry (Timothy) Hurt of Hope and Laurel (Chris) Wilson of Columbus. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Aaron Hurt of Porter, IN, Ben (Lindsey) Noblitt of Columbus, Dylan Hurt of Greenwood, Spencer Noblitt of Columbus, Taylor Hurt of Hope, Preston Grimes of Columbus and Cheyenne Grimes of Columbus; great-grandchildren, Drake, Connor and Jonah Noblitt; sister, Judy (Ed) Skinner of Greenville, Michigan; brother Tom Noblitt of Columbus and many nieces and nephews. Ken was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, a granddaughter Morgan Noblitt and sisters Nancy Petro, Sharon Phelps and Toni Franklin.