Elaine Doris Fortune

Elaine Doris Fortune was born on February 27th, 1929, in Elyria, Ohio to the parents of Evelyn and Henry Dreger, and was the oldest of 3 children. The family primarily raised “hot house” tomatoes, meaning their greenhouse was heated by steam which enabled the family to grow tomatoes year-round.

Growing up in the country during the depression meant making do with what you had. In addition to raising tomato’s Elaine’s family had chickens and many of their clothes were hand-made from feed sacks that had patterns printed on them.

Elaine was raised in the Church of God and her grandfather, Gottlieb Butgereit, was a founding minister in the late 1800s in the organization known at that time as the Church of God Reformation Movement, headquartered in Anderson, Indiana then and to this day.

Elaine was active in a Methodist youth group associated with a farm family living on the next road beyond her family house and whose parents had met and gotten to know Elaine’s parents. That farm family had a son by the name of Don Fortune who had the responsibility of driving all the kids home from youth group since his family had access to gasoline despite the rations placed on oil during the war. By the time Elaine was in the 8th grade Don, who at that time was a junior in high school, had met Elaine and it was no coincidence that Elaine was always the last person he dropped off at her house. Although Elaine was younger than Don by a few years, they always had fun together at youth group events whether it was roller skating, bowling, or some other activity.

Elaine attended Anderson College from 1947 to 1949 and then transferred to Baldwin-Wallace College where she received a Bachelor of Arts in 1951. By that time Don, who over the years kept in contact with Elaine, was drafted after working for the Cleveland YMCA for one year, joined the US Army and was stationed in Korea. Prior to Don’s deployment Don and Elaine were engaged, and 3 weeks after Don’s discharge from the army in 1952, Don and Elaine were married in Fairview Park, Ohio and traveled for their honeymoon to Cook's Forest, Pennsylvania. Upon returning to Cleveland, Don and Elaine had three boys: David, Duane, and Dean. Elaine split her time between raising the boys and having a job as a physical education teacher and the family attended the Cleveland Church of God.

In 1967 Elaine’s family moved to Indianapolis Indiana where they attended the Glendale Church of God, now the Church at the Crossing, raised their 3 boys and sent them off to college while Elaine worked part time as a substitute teacher in the junior high and high schools the boys attended.

Elaine and Don moved from Indianapolis to Lake Wales, Florida after Don retired in 1987 where they attended Lake Wales Church of God. They also spent a great deal of time traveling, mostly taking twenty one cruises. The years before Don’s passing in October of 2004 Don and Elaine moved to Carmel, Indiana where they attended the Church at the Crossing and Elaine was active in the Lydia’s Ladies women’s group. After Don’s passing Elaine moved to Westfield, Indiana and then in April of 2022 moved to Rockwall, Texas where she lived at an assisted living facility close to her son Dean and his family until her passing on January 1, 2026.

Elaine is preceded in death by her Husband Don after 52 years of marriage, her brother Henry “Hank” Dreger, her oldest son David Fortune, and is survived by her Sister Marilyn Leach, sons Duane (Kimberly) Fortune and Dean (Laura) Fortune, grandchildren Michelle (Eddie) Hepler, Rachel Fortune, Ryan (Aileen) Fortune, Madison Thomas (Ross) Ruggles, Morgan Thomas, McKenna Thomas, and great grandchildren Rose Fortune, Autumn Fortune, Avery Fortune, Luke Fortune, Shane Fortune, Tommy Ruggles, Ryleigh Hepler, Caiden Hepler, Caitlyn Hepler, and Caleb Hepler.

Elaine’s viewing will be on Friday, January 9th from 7 – 9:00PM with the funeral from 1 – 2:30PM on Saturday January 10th at Leppert Mortuary, 740 E. 86th St. Indianapolis, IN 46240. Interment will follow the funeral at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens, 9700 Allisonville Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46250.

Memorial contributions may be made to Church at the Crossing, 9111 Haverstick Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46240.