Harold Monroe "Chilli" Childress, Jr. Obituary (1953

Mr. Harold Monroe "Chilli" Childress, Jr. age 67, of Madison, Indiana entered this life on April 30, 1953 in Madison, Indiana. He was the loving son of the late Harold Monroe, Sr. and Roberta Ruth Perkinson Price Childress. He was raised in Madison and was a 1971 graduate of Madison Consolidated High School where he excelled in baseball. He received a baseball scholarship to play for Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky. He worked a short period at Meese Manufacturing in Madison and then was inducted into the United States Army on March 15, 1973 in Madison during the Vietnam War Era. He served in Company C First Battalion and rose to the rate of Specialist Five when he was honorably discharged on January 19, 1979. He received a commendation from the State of Indiana for his service during the 1974 tornado that devastated Madison and Hanover. After graduating from Sullivan, he worked for two years with the Social Security Administration in its Louisville office. After his service to our country, he began his career back with Meese Manufacturing and retired 41 years later as head of the sales division for the company which had become Meese Orbitron Dunn. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in downtown Madison where he was baptized. He later attended the First Christian Church where he was united in marriage on December 11, 1974 to Mary Lynn Edwards. This happy union of 47 years was blessed with a son, Brent, and a daughter, Rachel. He later attended the Pilgrim Holiness Church in downtown Madison which was pastored by his good friend Bob Leach. He had held membership in the River Valley CB Club, the Goodwill Conservation Club, and the Friendship Muzzle Loaders Association. Harold was an avid golfer and fan of IU basketball, the Cincinnati Reds and Georgia Bulldogs, plus tolerated UK basketball for his wife. He was compassionate for individuals and families afflicted with autism. In his later years, he enjoyed playing board games and cards, working crossword puzzles and spoiling his dog Lalo. He was a devoted husband, loving dad, papa, brother and uncle. Harold died on Sunday, March 7, 2021, at 3:23 a.m. at the Norton Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. Please Click Here to View the Video Tribute Please Click Here to View the Funeral Service Recording A LOVING FAMILY Harold will be missed by his loving wife of 47 years, Mary Lynn Edwards Childress of Madison, Indiana; his son, Brent Monroe Childress and his wife, Kathy of Norfolk, Virginia; his daughter and caregiver, Rachel Nickell and her companion, Dillon Tingle of Madison, Indiana; his grandchildren, Dexter Childress, Tristan Childress, and Riley Mae Nickell; his brothers, Charles "Chuck" Childress and his wife, Tammy of Madison, Indiana, Sonny Cole of Seattle, Washington; his sister in laws, Lynn Price of Brunswick, Georgia, Pamela Edwards of Madison, Indiana, Lisa Baker and her husband, Raymond of Cloverdale, Indiana; his brother in law, James Edwards Jr. and his wife, Linda of Madison, Indiana; his aunts, Rose Schulze of Jamestown, Missouri, June Hayes of Kansas City, Missouri; his beloved niece, Nannette Newsome and her husband, Keith of Hanover, Indiana; several other nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his father, Harold Monroe Childress, Sr., his mother, Roberta Ruth Perkinson Price Childress, his sisters, Ellen Estelle "Sissy" Richards, Velda Lee Davis, and Della Jean Childress, his brothers, James Price and Eddie Price, his granddaughter, McKenzie Nickell, died September 14, 2003, his father in law and his mother in law, James Sr. and Ruby Jean Edwards, and his sister in law, Marie Ruth. FUNERAL CEREMONY Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday, March 10, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., by Pastor Jeff Jones at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive in Madison, Indiana. VISITATION Friends may visit Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive in Madison, Indiana. MILITARY HONORSA final salute with military honors will be provided by the Major Samuel Woodfill Post No. 9 of the American Legion. MEMORIAL EXPRESSIONS Memorial contributions may be made to the Harold Childress Remembrance Fund. Cards are available at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centres of Madison and Hanover. Online condolences, remembrances, and memorials can be left at www.morgan-nay.com To send a flower arrangement in memory of Harold Monroe "Chilli" Childress, Jr., please click here to visit our sympathy store.