Jack Harris Monninger, Sr., 90, of Indianapolis, passed away on January 12, 2015. He was born in Indianapolis and graduated from New Augusta High School. He grew up on his family's farm on the once rural Westside with his siblings, Harry Jr., George, Vivian, Todd, Margarete. As a young boy he developed a love of poetry. At age 11 he wrote:
The Falling Star
Come out with me beneath the sky,
Where all these mystic demons fly….
Tell me if you've seen such sights,
That hold one spellbound through the night.
I wonder what could make them fall….?
It must be God just playing ball….
If so, He throws them awfully far,
I wonder 'bout the falling star.
Following graduation from New Augusta, he was drafted into the Army during WWII. He served with the 80th Infantry, Patton's Third Army. He fought and was injured at the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He returned from the war and attended classes at Herron School of Art, and graduated from Butler University. He married Imogene Repass in 1948, and together they had six children.
He enjoyed a long career teaching art and history at Decatur Township and Pike Township schools. He loved to travel and guided summer trips to Europe with his students and family, often revisiting sites he remembered from his war experience. In a letter to his son from "Communist Yugoslavia on June 23, 1966", he wrote:
"Hello Buddie, We are getting nearer, and nearer to Mt. Olympus. I'm going to watch for everything… so I can tell you all about it."
This is because Jack was genuinely interested in 'everything' and thrived on lively discussions. He enjoyed writing poems and clever puns, reciting poetry, and singing. He drew cartoons and caricatures. He tinkered on cars, and as a retiree, went on long weekend drives with Imogene. He enjoyed making pottery and engineered his own motorized pottery wheels. In retirement, he came to enjoy making countless plexiglass games that kids continue to enjoy today.
A veteran of war, he believed deeply in the concept of "the brotherhood of man" and asked to be buried with the white flag of peace, stating in one poem during the Vietnam War:
Now we're not the only ones here.
We've gathered for one million years.
And that white flag outside is for all men who've died,
In the hate and the fear found on earth.
With his active mind, in his late 70s he learned how to use a computer. He always enjoyed talking to people, never having met a stranger, and rarely turned down the opportunity for a vigorous debate on even the most provocative issues. At their home on Guion Road, Jack and Imogene would welcome relatives, friends, neighbors, and children with open hearts and his delighted, "Well, well, well." They truly loved being grandparents and great-grandparents to new generations.
He was preceded in death by all of his siblings. He will be laid to rest in Bethel Cemetery, a handful of miles but a rich lifetime away, from where he was born on a spring day in 1924. There he will rest alongside Imogene, who passed away in 2010, and their little daughter, Patty, who died in 1955.
He will be remembered lovingly by his surviving children, Cathy Dowden, Mary Ann Nelson, Rebecca Monninger, Jackie Nitowski, Jack Monninger, Jr.; 10 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren; in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends, colleagues and the students he cherished.
Visitation will be held Sunday, January 18, 2015, from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM, at Flanner and Buchanan-Zionsville, 105 W. Pine Street, Indianapolis, IN 46077. Funeral services will be at 1:00 PM Sunday at the funeral home, with burial in Bethel Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Arts Council of Indianapolis, 924 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, IN 46204, to support a vibrant local arts community.
Death, Or Return Me
By Jack H. Monninger, Sr.
Hold my hand firmly, . . .
And lead me through the snow . . . . .
Then let the sun beat down,
Concealing where I go;
When I reach the depths of man made destiny, . . . . . . . . . . ..
Close the gates softly, . . .
Or set me free.
Now, he is finally free
Jack Harris Monninger, Sr., 90, of Indianapolis, passed away on January 12, 2015. He was born in Indianapolis and graduated from New Augusta High School. He grew up on his family's farm on the once rural Westside with his siblings, Harry Jr., George, Vivian, Todd, Margarete. As a young boy he developed a love of poetry. At age 11 he wrote:
The Falling Star
Come out with me beneath the sky,
Where all these mystic demons fly….
Tell me if you've seen such sights,
That hold one spellbound through the night.
I wonder what could make them fall….?
It must be God just playing ball….
If so, He throws them awfully far,
I wonder 'bout the falling star.
Following graduation from New Augusta, he was drafted into the Army during WWII. He served with the 80th Infantry, Patton's Third Army. He fought and was injured at the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He returned from the war and attended classes at Herron School of Art, and graduated from Butler University. He married Imogene Repass in 1948, and together they had six children.
He enjoyed a long career teaching art and history at Decatur Township and Pike Township schools. He loved to travel and guided summer trips to Europe with his students and family, often revisiting sites he remembered from his war experience. In a letter to his son from "Communist Yugoslavia on June 23, 1966", he wrote:
"Hello Buddie, We are getting nearer, and nearer to Mt. Olympus. I'm going to watch for everything… so I can tell you all about it."
This is because Jack was genuinely interested in 'everything' and thrived on lively discussions. He enjoyed writing poems and clever puns, reciting poetry, and singing. He drew cartoons and caricatures. He tinkered on cars, and as a retiree, went on long weekend drives with Imogene. He enjoyed making pottery and engineered his own motorized pottery wheels. In retirement, he came to enjoy making countless plexiglass games that kids continue to enjoy today.
A veteran of war, he believed deeply in the concept of "the brotherhood of man" and asked to be buried with the white flag of peace, stating in one poem during the Vietnam War:
Now we're not the only ones here.
We've gathered for one million years.
And that white flag outside is for all men who've died,
In the hate and the fear found on earth.
With his active mind, in his late 70s he learned how to use a computer. He always enjoyed talking to people, never having met a stranger, and rarely turned down the opportunity for a vigorous debate on even the most provocative issues. At their home on Guion Road, Jack and Imogene would welcome relatives, friends, neighbors, and children with open hearts and his delighted, "Well, well, well." They truly loved being grandparents and great-grandparents to new generations.
He was preceded in death by all of his siblings. He will be laid to rest in Bethel Cemetery, a handful of miles but a rich lifetime away, from where he was born on a spring day in 1924. There he will rest alongside Imogene, who passed away in 2010, and their little daughter, Patty, who died in 1955.
He will be remembered lovingly by his surviving children, Cathy Dowden, Mary Ann Nelson, Rebecca Monninger, Jackie Nitowski, Jack Monninger, Jr.; 10 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren; in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends, colleagues and the students he cherished.
Visitation will be held Sunday, January 18, 2015, from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM, at Flanner and Buchanan-Zionsville, 105 W. Pine Street, Indianapolis, IN 46077. Funeral services will be at 1:00 PM Sunday at the funeral home, with burial in Bethel Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Arts Council of Indianapolis, 924 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, IN 46204, to support a vibrant local arts community.
Death, Or Return Me
By Jack H. Monninger, Sr.
Hold my hand firmly, . . .
And lead me through the snow . . . . .
Then let the sun beat down,
Concealing where I go;
When I reach the depths of man made destiny, . . . . . . . . . . ..
Close the gates softly, . . .
Or set me free.
Now, he is finally free
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
