Kenneth Lorne Pettit (71) passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on January 6, 2026, at his home in Sellersburg, Indiana from complications of kidney dialysis.  He was a proud member of St. John Paul II Catholic Church in Sellersburg.  He loved his wife and his kids and his two furry kids, Willie and Reggie.

He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Theresia, his furry son Reggie Pettit and his four children from his first marriage:  Amber Sunshine Celani and her children:  Abby, Kade, and Marcella; Gary Eugene Pettit, his wife Amber and their children:  James, Laura Rose, and Sawyer; Joshua Kenneth Pettit and his wife Katie and their daughter Lucy; Joel LaVerne Pettit and his wife Amy.  He is also survived by his brother Gary and his wife Sharon; and his sister, Lori McVicker.

His is preceded in death by his parents, LaVerne and Frances Pettit; his beloved Golden Retriever Willie Pettit, and the greatest bulldog to EVER live, named after the legendary Chesty Puller, USMC: Chesty Pettit.

He was born in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada to Vern and Fran Pettit.  His brother Gary was born 18 months later and then when Ken was 3 years old, they moved to the Los Angeles area of California, and his sister Lori was born a few years later.

Growing up, he enjoyed playing sports, especially football but he excelled as a baseball pitcher with his Dad as his coach.  The loss of his Dad when Ken was just 25 years old affected him profoundly and we always talked about "looking him up" first when he got to heaven.

Ken joined the United States Marine Corps in 1974,and he served with Honor until 1978 as a Crew Chief in the massive CH-53D helicopter amassing over 500 flight hours.  Ken served in San Diego, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Okinawa, and the Philippines.

Ken's first job after the Marine Corps was with GTE phone company alongside his father where he worked for 3 years.  He enjoyed the work, but he was looking ahead and the job that would be his career began when he was hired by Boeing, Inc at Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County California.  He worked there for 31 years in the Quality Department as an Airworthiness Flight Inspector.  His job was to supervise the running of software to ensure it did what it was supposed to do during testing and to make sure the work that others did followed procedures and that no steps had been missed.  He worked primarily on bombers including the B-52 and his pride and joy the B-1B. He also worked on many experimental aircraft testing and loved to hear the roar of a jet engine. Anyone that knew Ken, learned about airplanes, the type, the speed, the carrying weight and he had tons of stories about looking for a lost nut or screw (foreign object debris).  He loved to talk about his daily reports and how he caught many dangerous situations that all had the potential for loss of a plane and loss of life. He treated those planes like his children, and he earned many awards for being so diligent.

Ken was a voracious reader of crime dramas and history, especially WWII and could name by sight all the aircraft involved on either side.  He loved to garden, especially enjoying his crops of cherry tomatoes.  Ken loved John Wayne movies, Jeremiah Johnson, Casablanca, and the "award-winning"Dude, Where's My Car.

He loved his G-scale trains and was a member of the Las Vegas G-scale Model Train Club and the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and he attended the Oshkosh Air Show as many times as he could.  Ken was a proud member of IAM 751 (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) for 31 years.  He had an Associate Degree of Arts from LA Valley College in Van Nuys, California and an Associate Degree in Science/Electronics from Lancaster Community College in Lancaster, California.

Ken met Theresia Triplett Rowland in 1998, and they finally got around to marriage in 2005.  She moved to his home in California City, California and learned the joys of living in the high desert with 360 days of sunshine in a big blue sky and with little humidity.  They enjoyed proximity to Las Vegas and returned many times to the site of their honeymoon in a small cabin near Taos, New Mexico.  Theresia moved back to Indiana in 2015 due to a family situation and Ken joined her after his retirement in 2018.

Ken learned to love Indiana for its green beauty and distinct seasons.  He loved watching the dogs enjoy the snows we got.  He spent many hours involved with his trains and consuming books like candy. He loved driving through Henryville State Forestry and savoring french onion soup and watching people at his favorite restaurant, Ditto's on Bardstown Road.

Over the years, Ken had many stays in the hospital but as his life became increasingly restricted, he made the decision to be at home in peace with his friends and family.  He ate what he wanted for the first time in 30 years and enjoyed his children, his grandchildren, and the many friends and relatives that came to say good-bye.

He served with Honor and will be dearly missed.

A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, January 16, 2026 at St. John Paul II Catholic Church (2253 W. St. Joe Road, Sellersburg, Indiana 47172) with interment to follow at Sellersburg Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the Garr Funeral Home (7806 Highway 311, Sellersburg, Indiana 47172) on Thursday from 2:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M.  and on Friday from 8:00 A.M. until the procession to church.