John William Rutledge

John William Rutledge,

92, of Indianapolis, loving husband and devoted father, passed away on August 31, 2017. He was born on May 22, 1925 in St. Louis, MO to Melvin and Elizabeth (Clawsey). Rutledge. John was graduate of McBride High School in St. Louis, and shortly thereafter enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, flying as a B-24 navigator and bombardier in the 451st Bomb Group, 727th Squadron, based in Foggia, Italy. He was discharged from the Army Air Corps with the rand of 2nd Lieutenant. He was awarded a European-Africa-Middle Eastern Theatre Campaign Ribbon with 3 Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and a Presidential Unit Citation with one oak leaf cluster. He had a love of B-24’s and flying all his life, and was a member of the 451st Bomb Group Association.

At the end of the war John returned home, then enrolled in the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. John also had a life-long love for Notre Dame and their athletic teams- especially football. He also embraced a deep commitment to God and to the United States of America.

John was married to his sweetheart, Mary, on September 17, 1955 in Indianapolis and they were a devoted couple for over 61 years of marriage. He was a proud member of American Legion Post 500 in Speedway, IN for 20 years. John was also a member of St. Michael’s Parish, Indianapolis, IN for 62 years. He also loved to sing, his favorite curse word was “hambone”, and he was by far the best spoons player in the family.

John worked as an accounting machine customer engineer for IBM. He later was a branch manager for H.O. Trerice. He then worked at Plant 12 for Detroit Diesel Allison, where he retired from in 1992. John is survived by his wife of 61 years Mary (Merz) Rutledge, his two children Stephen (Kathryn) Rutledge, Kathleen (Tom) Crecelius, 2 grandchildren Claire (Shahab) Rutledge-Sakha, and Nickolas Crecelius, and a niece and nephew, Judy Luedecker and Douglas Luedecker. John was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Lucille (Clawsey) Luedecker.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 from 4:00p.m.-7:00p.m., with a Rosary 6:30p.m. at Flanner and Buchanan-Washington Park North, 2706 Kessler Blvd W. Dr., Indianapolis, A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Michael’s Catholic Church, 3354 West 30th St., Indianapolis, IN 46228. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery, Indianapolis. A meal will follow at the St. Michael’s Parish Family Life Center.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, or the 451st Bomb Group Association, Susan Tudor Prince 14 Reservation Andover, MA 01810