Robert L. Kingry passed away unexpectedly on July 3, 2017, while vacationing in Utah. Robert (Bob) was born in Fremont, Nebraska on July 18, 1948, son of Larry W. Kingry and Mildred (Carlstrom) Kingry.
Robert grew up in Roseburg, Oreg., and graduated from Roseburg High School in 1966. He was a veteran of the Army who served during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1970. He moved to Indianapolis in 1970 and met his wife, Rebecca in 1971. They married in June 1974 and moved to New Palestine in 1979. He was a service specialist with AT&T and retired in 2011 with 41 years of service.
Robert was considered a legend in Hancock County for his magnificent and immense Christmas light display. He took great pleasure in watching cars full of viewers pass by. He was proud to be a finalist in WTHR’s 2016 Battle of the Bulbs contest.
He enjoyed his flowers and landscaping and fondly referred to his yard as “Kingry Park.” He logged many miles on his road bike. In July 2015, he rode 3,418 miles in a single month, ranking him 2nd in the nation in the National Bike Challenge. He rode over 16,000 miles in 3 years. He enjoyed completing jigsaw puzzles up to 9,000 pieces. He had many additional passions throughout his life including slow pitch softball, league bowling, the Indiana Hoosiers, the Indianapolis Colts and most of all his family.
Robert was truly a remarkable man.
Robert is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Rebecca “Becky” (Strothmann) Kingry; daughter, Jennifer (Mitchell) Zacharias; son, John (Gretchen Cook) Kingry, mother, Mildred Kingry; siblings, Connie (Mike Hill) Kesterson, Larry K. (Carolyn) Kingry, Nancy (Donald) Yoder, Terry (Vida) Kingry, Wally (Cindi) Kingry, and Melodee (Dwayne) Thompson; many nieces and nephews; and his adoring golden retriever, Ginger.
He was preceded in death by his father, Larry W. Kingry and brother, Joel Kingry.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 7, at Erlewein Mortuary & Crematory, 1484 W. US Hwy. 40, Greenfield. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 8, at the mortuary. Pastor Jason Taylor will be officiating. Burial will follow at Washington Park East Cemetery in Indianapolis with military rites presented by the Greenfield Veterans Honor Guard.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made by mail to the Operation Christmas Child/Samaritan’s Purse, Attn: Donor Ministries, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607, by website at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/donation-items/operation-christmas-child/ or Lucky Dog Retreat Rescue, Inc., 5990 E. 71st Street, Suite G, Indianapolis, IN 46220. Envelopes will be available at the mortuary.
Friends may share a memory or a condolence at erleweinmortuary.com.
