Ola Weddle

Ola Francis Weddle, Dad, was born in Faw Bush, Kentucky near Wolf Creek June 9, 1928 to William and Verda Weddle.  He had 3 brothers, William, Vertis, and Leonard.  He liked to run and play like most boys.  When he was 5, he fell out of a tree and broke his arm.  His father carried him 2 miles to his Uncle George's house, and they took him in a truck to a doctor in Somerset.  His mother had passed away of cholera or starvation shortly before.  He was taken in by the Kentucky Children's Home.  His favorite ward mother was Miss Humble.  She read them Bible stories, and he wanted to grow up to be a Sunday School teacher.  He went into foster care and worked hard on a farm.  He attended Berea College, where he worked in a bakery.  He later joined the army and drove supply trucks up to Alaska and Canada from Oklahoma.  His outfit went to Korea.  Most of them were killed in the war.  Afterward he went home to Kentucky.  To find work he moved to Indianapolis.  He started out in a meat packing plant.  Shortly he found work at GM Truck and Bus.  He also worked at Allison's.   He met my mother and took her roller skating and to the Tee Pee for hamburgers.  His brother Leonard married my mother's sister Atha Lee.  He married my mother, Ozell Annie Weddle September 19, 1953.  I was born a year and a half later.  We attended West Street Nazarene Church when I was a baby, and he was called into the ministry.  He substituted for ministers all over Indiana.  Several of the churches wanted to call him to be their pastor.  He chose to help several African American families to start a Nazarene church in the inner city.  In 1962 he helped families in Knightstown, IN to start a church there with the assistance of Cecil Pugh.  Later he worked to start a Nazarene church in Brownsburg.  He continued to work at Chevy Truck and Bus for 40 years, even while pastoring. He enjoyed golfing on the Chevy league and made several close friends.  He continued to be married to my mother for almost 65 years.  He always thought she was beautiful.  He spoiled all our pets and me through the years.  We currently attend Westside Church of the Nazarene as we have for 28 years.  Dad has always been a wonderful father and encourager for me.  Many times in his life God protected him from danger and saved his life.  I am certain he is with Jesus now. He is survived by his wife Ozell Annie; daughter, Carolyn Weddle; and many cousins.