John Edward Wells

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

John Edward Wells, 83, of Greencastle, died Friday, Jan. 29, 2016.

Born Sept. 5, 1932 in Terre Haute, he was the son of Barbara (Prohaska) Wells and Jess Wells.

He graduated from Wiley High School in Terre Haute. He earned a BA in accounting and MA in English literature at Indiana State University (ISU).

He was a talented athlete and played many years of baseball in Terre Haute from Little League through college.

He served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict from 1954 to 1956, where he performed logistics work in Europe.

He married Tansy Reece at St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Terre Haute on June 20, 1959. They were married for more than 56 years.

He taught English literature at Shortridge High School, Pike High School, Emmerich Manual High School and Crawfordsville High School.

In addition, he taught English literature and directed the drama program at Greencastle Junior High School. He was a gifted teacher, who shared his love of Shakespeare and poetry with thousands of students.

John loved tennis, golf, baseball and biking, and was an avid sports fan, gardener.

He was a devoted father and grandfather.

He is survived by his sister, Dorothy Craig, his wife Tansy Wells and four children, Barbara Stewart (husband Michael Stewart), John Wells, Mary Wells (husband William O'Connell) and Michael Wells. He was the beloved grandfather of Brian Smiley, Mary Stewart and Patrick O'Connell.

A memorial mass for the immediate family was held on Feb. 1, 2016 at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greencastle.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Robe-Ann Park, 405 S. Bloomington St., Greencastle, IN 46135.