Obituaries, February 17, 2024
Lisa G. Wimmer
Lisa G. Wimmer, 62, of Kokomo, Indiana passed away February 12, 2024. She was born on August 6, 1961, in Elwood, Indiana the daughter of Kenneth K. Hobbs and Hazel J. (Cleveland) Crull. She married Jerald A. Wimmer on March 19, 2011, who survives.
She was employed at Chrysler for 30+ years as a quality inspector. Lisa enjoyed time with her family, her grandson, Zephaniah, was the light of her life, she enjoyed treating the people she loved with gifts from the heart. She had a caring heart, a happy soul, and a beautiful smile. Lisa was a proud Christian, she was a deaconess at the Temple Congregational Church UCC in Marion, IN.
Left to cherish her memory is her loving husband, Jerald Wimmer; daughter, Kaisha (David) Monticue, grandson, Zephaniah Monticue, sister, Dixie Francis (Hobbs).
Lisa was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth K. Hobbs, her mother, Hazel J. Crull (Cleveland), brothers, Mark A Hobbs and Kevin R. Hobbs.
Visitation will take place from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at Sunset Memory Garden Funeral Home. Funeral services will take place at 2:00 PM Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at Sunset Memory Garden Funeral Home 2097 West Alto Road Kokomo, Indiana 46902. Entombment will follow. Share a memory with the family at www.Sunsetmemorygarden.com.
Richard Alan Prout
Richard Alan Prout was born on March 14, 1933, in White Plains, New York where he grew up. His mother and father (both deceased) were Helen (Knapp) and Archibald Prout. He had three siblings, Donald Prout (deceased), Robert Prout, and Ellie Lacy (also deceased). After high school, he joined the Air Force to face his fear of flying, where he served our country in the Korean War as a navigator. He then graduated from Colorado University with degrees in Civil Engineering and Physics.
He met his first wife and mother of his children, Donna Prout, in California. They were divorced in 1969. He met the love of his life, Heide Prout in California in 1973. They were married on November 22, 1982, and lived in Santa Monica, California until Heide’s retirement after which they moved to their house in Tipton. Richard was an avid gardener and his “award-winning” beautiful garden in Tipton was enjoyed by many. Richard and Heide also had two Dachshunds, both deceased, which they loved with all their hearts, Zeppel and Jay Jay.
During his career, Richard worked as an aerospace engineer at Ball Bros (Ball Aerospace), Hughes Aircraft (Raytheon), JPL, and the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) where he was also taught. He was a brilliant man and was the director of the building of one of the telescopes that went up into space. He also helped to develop a secret “Star Wars type technology” for destroying missiles in the air – without explosives – before they hit their targets. This technology helped to save many lives. His most well-known project was when he was at Caltech and serving on the team with Barry Barish developing the LIGO detector. Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.
After his retirement, Richard’s hobby of photography turned into a second career. He traveled all over Europe taking photographs and he printed them all in his own dark room, sometimes using etching screens to create the visual impressions of paintings. His photos were exhibited in many art shows all over the world – including every summer at Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach, California, as well as the Dyansen Galleries in NYC, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Beverly Hills, and Hawaii. Thousands of people worldwide have his photos on their walls.
Richard died peacefully on February 6, 2024, at The Waters of Tipton. He is survived by his loving wife Heide Prout; two daughters, Lisa Spinelli and Amy Prout; five grandchildren, Arianna Spinelli, Dante Spinelli, Nicolo Spinelli, Christian DeGroot, and Brandon DeGroot; his brother, Robert Prout, his sisters-in-law Sandy and Jane Prout; his brother-in-law, David Lacy, and many nephews and nieces.
He will be cremated, and his ashes will be buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Tipton where he will await his beloved wife, Heide, to join him. His family is planning a private service in June. In lieu of flowers or donations, his family asks that you cherish and love your own family members while they are alive and that you live life to the fullest.
Young-Nichols Funeral Home is honored to be assisting the Prout family with Richard’s arrangements.
Mark Lee Watkins
Mark Lee Watkins, 66, of Russiaville, passed away at 5:21 p.m. on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at Community Howard Regional Health. He was born April 19, 1957, in Tipton County, to Paul H. and Patricia A. (Cole) Watkins.
Mark graduated from Haworth High School in 1975, earned an Automotive Technical Certificate from Ivy Tech, and was a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT). He worked as a RPSGT for Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo for over 15 years. Prior to that, he worked in a variety of roles for Coca-Cola Bottling Kokomo for nearly 25 years.
In his spare time, he enjoyed being outdoors and working with his hands. He was always convinced there wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix or build. His mechanical skills turned into a lifelong passion for cars of all types with a particular fondness of classic panel vans and Corvettes.
Survivors include his children, Paul (Jordyn) Watkins and Markus Watkins; granddaughter, Lillian Watkins; and the mother of his children, Carolyn Cash.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Greg Watkins.
In keeping with Mark’s wishes, no public services will be held. Cremation has been entrusted to Stout & Son Funeral Home in Russiaville. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.stoutandson.com.