OBITUARY - Plain Dealer, Wabash (IN)

Carroll L. Coble, 86, Wabash, died at 1:40 a.m. Thursday, April 2, 2009, at his home.

He was born on April 19, 1922, in Huntington, to Harvey and Annis (Mikel) Coble and was the next to the youngest of 12 children. They all preceded him in death.

Carroll was a 1940 graduate of Huntington Township High School. He met and fell in love with Lena Reiken in 1941, and married her in Laketon, on Oct. 5, 1942. They stayed in love all 66 years and could often be seen walking hand-in-hand through town.

He was a World War II veteran and served in the South Pacific in the Army Air Corps. He liked to talk about the job he did on Tarawa of distilling seawater into drinkable water. He was also in the motor pool in Hawaii and worked there as a mechanic and chauffeur.

He retired from Majestic in 1987, but continued to keep busy at home with remodeling and woodworking. He was a true jack-of-all-trades, having worked as a fireman on the railroad, a mechanic, a cabinet maker and a draftsman. He had much wisdom to share and kids asked his advice about everything. He attended New Life Baptist Church and was a man of great faith. He will be sorely missed by his wife and family. His grandchildren loved to coax him into playing his harmonica for them. His greatest legacy is the unconditional love he showed to his family.

He is survived by his wife, Lena Coble, Wabash; four children, Carolyn (Roger) Grandstaff, Fairfield, Pa., Harvey (Brenda) Coble, Kathy Rowe and David (Colleen) Coble, all of Wabash; as well as eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.

Funeral services will be held at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, 1241 Manchester Ave., Wabash, at 2 p.m. Monday, April 6, 2009. Pastor Steve Parks will officiate. #Burial will be in Falls Cemetery, Wabash. Friends may call at the funeral home from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2009. Preferred memorial is the Alzheimer's Foundation.