Theodore Nelston Wells, Jr.

He was born in Indianapolis to Theodore Wells Sr. and Flora Carrington Wells in 1927. Ted graduated from Arsenal Technical H.S. where he was the band drum major, on the ROTC championship rifle team, president or vice president or founder of several clubs and societies and was the school P.A. announcer.

Ted earned a B.S. in Business at Indiana University in just three years, and graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the USAF Air War College.

He joined the U.S. Navy in WWII before his H.S. graduation ceremony. Ted married Dorothy Alice Schoener of Indianapolis in 1946, and they were married 63 years before Dot’s passing in 2009.

He served in the Navy from February 1945 to August 1946, then the Army National Guard and transitioned to the newly created Air Force in time to be in the first USAF officer cadet class. He was on active duty during the Korean War and was in active reserves during the Vietnam War. While in service Ted was at Thule Air Force base in Greenland to help set up and implement the top secret “Project Blue Jay” which was part of the country’s Distant Early Warning System (DEWS). He was one of only a handful of people in the country who have served in three branches of the Armed Forces. Ted’s first child was born while he was at I.U. and the other four were all born at different Air Force bases. Ted retired as a Lt. Colonel. After 4 years in ROTC Ted had another 42 years of active and reserve duty.

In retirement, Ted represented several military organizations in an effort to preserve and expand benefits to veterans at a time when the Pentagon planned to reduce benefits. He flew to Washington several times meeting with Congressmen and Senators, testifying before Pentagon sub-committees for several years. Senator Richard Lugar sent Ted a letter of thanks for contributing to the success of that endeavor. Even though he then went into business he was always a military man at heart.

Ted joked that he started his business career selling Kool-aid curbside and magazines door-to-door. He was involved with early plastics manufacturing and was a systems engineer for the Univac early computers. He taught at Purdue University and Roosevelt University of Chicago. Ted ended his business career with a real estate title search business.

Ted’s retirement volunteer work encompassed too many organizations to list.

Ted was a spiritual man and described himself as a cross between a Christian, Buddhist and Rosicrucian. He was a great lover of animals and rescued a number of dogs plus his beloved cat who was with him until the end. And despite all Ted’s busyness he could find time to make “forts” under the dining table with the grandchildren.

Ted is survived by his children: Judy, Dave, Larry, Margo and Diana Wells, 11 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren and 7 great-great grandchildren, plus sisters Shirley Ruge, Carol Sweeney and Marilyn Breedlove. A memorial service at the Indiana War Memorial will be announced for this spring at this website. Fond memories and condolences may be offered at www.familyfuneralcareindy.com