Rodney Houchin, 74, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, at the Franklin United Methodist Community after a courageous battle with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. He was a life-long resident of Whiteland. Rodney retired from Allison Transmission in 1993.
He was born March 24, 1935, in Brownsville, Kentucky to Anna and Theodore Houchin.
He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Lomeda (Bennett) Houchin. He will be sadly missed by his three children, Laronda (Frank) Cardinali, Kimberly (Mark) Hayes and Dane (Kim) Houchin; twelve grandchildren, Andrea (Cardinali) Woodson, Allison (Cardinali) Comerford, Tony Cardinali, Melanie (Reynolds) McGovern, Deanne Reynolds, Jamie (Reynolds) Beck, Jacob Houchin, Justin Houchin, Jena Houchin, Allison Hayes, Rebecca (Hayes) Yunker, and Deanna (Hayes) Hoffman; and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Yvonne Petro.
Rodney was an active outdoorsman. He and his wife enjoyed boating on Patoka Lake and spent as much time as possible at their cabin with family and friends. Besides his love for fishing (and sharing fish stories), Rodney was an avid bowler winning numerous awards. Rodney was known for his quick wit and sense of humor. He was a loyal family man and hard worker with a heart of gold. His concern for others was his first priority.
A service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens and Funeral Home, 1977 S. State Road 135, Greenwood. The family will receive visitors from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Any contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's or Parkinson's Associations.