Ken Nelson Truitt

Ken Nelson Truitt, 83, of Robinson, IL, passed away on Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Crawford Memorial Hospital in Robinson. He was born in the Robinson City Hospital on September 18, 1938, the son of Harold & Lucy (Dunn) Truitt, who preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Harold "Danny" Truitt, and by a nephew, Alan Truitt.

His loving wife Grace, whom he married on June 8, 1958, survives, along with their three children: Keith (Margaret) Truitt of Caseyville, IL, Kimra (David) Roth of Robinson, and Kevin (Tonya) Truitt of Omaha, NE. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Kristoffer (Lacy) Truitt of Greenville, IL, Jonathan (Amy) Truitt of Glen Carbon, IL, Tabatha (Julian) Loker of Montrose, IA, Rebecca (Cody) Albaugh of Glen Carbon, IL, Lucas (Corinne) Roth of Richland, WA, Dr. Katie Truitt (boyfriend Justin Reyes) of Chicago, IL, and Emily Truitt (boyfriend Ben Bellamy) of Kansas City, MO; by twelve great-grandchildren: Elliott, Arya, and Olivia Albaugh of Glen Carbon, IL, Claire Truitt of Glen Carbon, IL, Gwendolyn, Emmalyn, River, and Timber Loker of Montrose, IA, Konan, Kalista and Miles Truitt of Greenville, IL, and David George Roth of Richland, WA; by four sisters-in-law: Mary Truitt of Robinson, Glenna Ogborn of Brazil, IN, Norma Ogborn of Greenwood, IN, and Eileen Ogborn of Center Point, IN; one brother-in-law: Ray (Mary) Mosteller of Albuquerque, NM; by his great-nephews, Reggie Truitt and Willie Truitt; as well as several other nieces, nephews, and many dear friends.

After 26 years of service, Ken retired from Marathon Oil Company in 1996 as a laboratory technician. Before joining Marathon in 1969, Ken and his family lived in Terre Haute and Indianapolis, working for Lake Central Airlines, Roscoe Turner Aviation, Link-Belt Bearing Plant, and Louis Meyer, Inc (builders of the Ford DOHC V8 Indy car engine, where he was the parts manager.) He was deeply involved with open-wheel auto racing while in Indy as a member of both the United States Auto Club and the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Club, the nation's oldest and largest race fan organization. With HARF, he was elected to the offices of Membership Secretary, Vice-President, and even served two terms as President and was honored by the group in 1967 for his contribution to auto racing.

Ken joined the fledgling Indy Racing League in 1996 and became its Fuels Technician through the 1997 season. He also worked Indy car events as a race day pit area official. After leaving the IRL, Ken was employed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Photo Department until health issues forced him to cut back on activities. Despite heart surgery, he continued covering both the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 as a writer and photographer, having many of his photos used in publications. The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association honored him in 1996 for his photo work and has had several of Ken's photos published in AARWBA's monthly news magazine. Ken free-lanced many years for the Robinson Daily News, writing his weekly "Flag to Flag" motorsports column and was a retired driver for Silverthorne Chevrolet's service and parts departments. He was a former member of the Robinson volunteer fire department and, at one time, coached in both the Robinson Pee Wee and Minor League baseball divisions.

A 1956 graduate of Robinson High School, Ken served many years on the Class Reunion Committee, keeping and updating most of the class records. He was a member of the Methodist Church and was a Life Member of both the International Association of Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers and Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Club.

A time of visitation will be held from 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 12th, at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson. Funeral services will immediately follow at 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home, with Rev. Tom Akers & Celebrant Curt Goodwine officiating. During the service, there will be a time for family and friends to publicly reflect on memories shared with this dear man. Burial will be in the Robinson New Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the "Parkinson's Foundation", with envelopes available at the funeral home.