NORTH MANCHESTER - Chester "Chet" A. Fingerle, formerly of North Manchester, Indiana, passed away at 5:55 a.m. Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at the home of his daughter in New Paris, Indiana, at the age of 96 years, 7 months and 29 days.
He was born on Oct. 24, 1927, in Flint, Michigan, to Daniel and Anna Maude Miller Fingerle.
Chet grew up in and around Flint with his six siblings. In 1945, they moved to Laketon, Indiana. There he worked with his dad at the Laketon Nursery, until they moved to North Manchester, Indiana, when he was 18. He became employed at Peabody Seating Company, where he worked until 1972, when the company moved. He then got a job at the North Manchester Foundry, where he worked until his retirement in 1992.
Chet met the love of his life, Helen Frantz, in 1945. They were wed on January 29, 1948, and raised their five children in North Manchester. They accepted Christ as their Savior and in November of 1948 were baptized with six other applicants into the Old German Baptist Brethren Church to which they remained faithful all of their lives. Their union was broken when Helen passed away on October 23, 2017, and they were married almost 70 years.
Chet was blessed with good health most of his life. In his declining years, he needed more help with tasks around the house, especially after his dear wife passed on. Eventually, he had to consent to a move to his daughter's home, where he was lovingly cared for until his passing. Chet had a great sense of humor and a comeback for every comment. He loved to fish and hunt, and spend time with his family and friends.
He is survived by his four children: Richard Duane (Susan) Fingerle of Burlington, Indiana; James Allen (Tammy) Fingerle of Pierceton, Indiana; Gary Dean Fingerle and Cheryl Ann (Donald) Ganger, both of New Paris; nine grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Helen; daughter, Norma Jean Fingerle; infant sister and brother; parents-in-law, Jacob and Ethel (Renicker) Frantz; siblings, Kenneth and his wife Anna, Robert and his wife Gladys, Elsie and her husband Robert Geiser, Pauline and her husband Ralph Miller, Don and his wife Betty, and Doris and her husband Dale Kelsey; and brothers-in-law, Paul Frantz and his wife Lucille, Leon Frantz and his wife Opal, and Robert Frantz and his wife Esther.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Monday, June 3, 2024, at the Old German Baptist Brethren Church, North Manchester, with the Home Brethren officiating. Burial will be in the Old German Baptist Brethren Cemetery, North Manchester. Friends may call 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Old German Baptist Brethren Church. Arrangements by Grandstaff-Hentgen Bender Chapel, 207 W. Main St., North Manchester.
The preferred memorial is Goshen Hospice.
The memorial guest book for Chet may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.