GOSHEN, KY
Phillip Jackie “Jack” Apple passed away peacefully on July 4th at the age of 82 at his longtime home in Goshen, KY. His beloved wife, Marilyn, was by his side where she had been throughout their 55 years of marriage, especially these last few years as she lovingly cared for Jack. Through the many challenges of his Parkinson’s disease, he always maintained his trademark optimism and quick-witted humor.
Jack was born on a farm in Paoli, IN on March 4, 1942 and would be the oldest of five kids. The rigors of farming would instill in him a tireless work ethic and lifelong conscientiousness. He attended a one-room schoolhouse in the country through 8th grade, at which point he attended Paoli High School becoming the valedictorian of his class.
Jack would be the first of his family to graduate college, attending Purdue University and majoring in electrical engineering. He would then go on to earn his master’s degree in industrial management at Purdue’s Krannert School of Management. Upon graduation, Jack went to work for Cummins Engine Company in Columbus, IN where he would spend the entirety of his 42-year professional career.
Jack and Marilyn moved frequently during their early years together, but in 1980 they made what would be their final move to Louisville when Jack purchased Cummins Kentuckiana, the Cummins distributor in the region. Over the next 26 years, the business was renamed Cummins Cumberland as it flourished and expanded.
If you ever asked Jack how he was doing, he most likely responded, “If I was any better, I couldn’t stand it”, which he truly meant. Jack loved Willie Nelson, rooting for the Boilermakers, a “Tanqueray and tonic in a tall glass” during summers and a good bourdon for all the other seasons, an occasional cigar to “keep the bugs away”, anything with chocolate in it and a great sunset, especially on Choctawhatchee Bay. He was an avid golfer who taught himself how to effectively play cross-handed (you read that right). But most of all, he loved his family.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Ruby Apple, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Walter and Ruth Neumann, brother-in-law Mike Neumann and sister-in-law Janice Lester.
Jack will be dearly missed by his surviving family; wife Marilyn, children Shannon (Dan) Naden and Mike (Rebecca) Apple, grandchildren Abigail and Nicholas Naden, Harlan, Knox and Marlowe Apple; siblings Chris (Tawny) Apple, David (Phyllis) Apple, Joanne (Phil) Gulley and Betty (Mike) Rush; several nieces and nephews, as well as his faithful yellow lab Izzy.
Memorial service 2:00pm Friday, July 26, 2024, at St. John United Methodist Church, 12700 W Hwy 42, Prospect, KY 40059. Visitation from 1:00pm to 2:00pm Friday prior to memorial service.
Celebration of life will follow memorial service from 3:00pm to 5:00pm at Harmony Landing Country Club, 13201 Reading Rd, Goshen, KY 40026. All family and friends are invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of condolences may be sent in Jack’s memory to Cressman Parkinson’s &Movement Disorders Center or Hosparus Health of Louisville.
