Michael Lee Ogle, 79, of Forest, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on March 13, 2023. He was born in Linton, Greene County, Indiana on May 6, 1943, to the late Theodore Nye and Ellen Mae (Ralph) Ogle. In 1962 at Westpoint Christian Church, he married his childhood sweetheart and love of his life, Elinor Maxine McQuinn. On January 25 this year, Mike and Maxine celebrated 61 years together, and she survives.
Mike graduated from Clinton Central High School in 1961 after attending Forest High School for two years prior to consolidation. He attended Purdue University to study engineering. Mike worked at Chrysler, first as a tool and die maker for a year, then as a manufacturing engineer. Upon retirement after 30 years from Chrysler in 1993, he created the Ogle Corporation to contract with IPG selling industrial lasers for another 25 years, retiring again in 2018. He became an expert in his field, giving presentations all over the United States and abroad in Scotland and England, including at the University of Cambridge.
Mike was an active member of the Forest United Methodist Church for over 70 years. He was a Sunday School teacher, in the church choir, and held several leadership roles. He was on the Clinton Central School Board and served as President for two years. He sat on the Michigantown Library Board. He was a member of the John Purdue Club and UAW. He co-founded the Forest Travel League and coordinated many years of golf trips. Mike was able to travel to Kenya to visit his brother Teddy who lived there for over 40 years. Mike enjoyed traveling to Warsaw for Tiger basketball games. He was a loyal Purdue fan and made three trips to California to visit John Wooden at his home.
Mike was a loving, patient, always present husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed surprising Maxine, especially for her birthday, and planned many parties for her. Mike had a quick wit, and was known for his dry sense of humor, always making puns whenever he could. He was an avid reader and always early to adopt new technology. Scrabble and Euchre were his favorite games and were played at most family gatherings. He worked on various construction projects with his family and made several woodworking gifts for his grandchildren.
Along with his wife, Maxine, Michael is also survived by his children, Doug (Melissa) Ogle, Neal (Laurie) Ogle, and Andrea (Brett) Shepard; grandchildren, Courtney (Will) Thrasher, Cendall (Seth) Murphy, Creigh (Eli) Graham, Emily (Andrew) Ricketts, Eric Ogle, Mark (Raven) Ogle, Daniel (Grace) Ogle, Zachery (Corie) Shepard, Alexanna Shepard, and Ian Shepard; great-grandchildren, Walker and Anniston Thrasher, Guy Murphy, Penn and Pruitt Graham, Mackensie Dockins, Keegan, Adalena and Owen Ricketts, Emerson, Isla, Indy and Taysum Ogle, and Max and Maverick Shepard; sister, Jo Ellen Ogle; and sisters-in-laws Carol Dull, Joy Ann McQuinn and Martha Ogle. He has many nieces and nephews with special support given to him by nieces, Jane Mohler and Robin Williams and long-time friends of 60 years, Mike and Sandy Hawn.
He is preceded in death by his siblings, Theodore “Teddy” Ogle and Phyllis Ogle Williams.
Friends may visit with the family from 3 pm to 7 pm on Friday, March 17, 2023, at Stout & Son Funeral Home, 200 E. Main Street Russiaville, Indiana. Funeral services will take place at 11 am on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at the funeral home, with Forest United Methodist Church Pastor Bob Raschka and the Reverend Dr. James Witty, officiating, with 1 hour of visitation prior to service. Burial will follow in St. Paul Cemetery, Russiaville, Indiana. Memorial donations may be made to Forest United Methodist Church. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.stoutandson.com.