Born on November 18, 1928 from the marital union of Price Curry and Florence Martin of Carroll County, Mississippi (both deceased), Otis gave his life to Christ at an early age at the Oak Grove Baptist Church.
Otis attended school at the Church through 8th grade since it was the only elementary/middle school in the area that blacks were allowed to attend. His time other than at school and church was filled with chores and working in the fields with his brothers and friends, which helped him develop life skills and a strong physical and mental constitution.
At the age of 18, he married Mildred Louise Stigler, also of Carroll County Mississippi on December 5, 1946. Their oldest child was born in November, 1947 and the family moved to Indianapolis in 1948, seeking better employment and life opportunities.
Otis is no stranger to hard work. He worked for Allison and then for General Motors, from which he retired after 30+ years with perfect attendance. He also was an entrepreneur, having co-owned a restaurant, C and G (Curry and George) record shop, rental properties and Nichole’s Salon, a beauty shop. He believed in advancement by educati...[more]
and hard work and pushed his children, relatives and friends toward both. He read the newspaper and watched CNN, MSNBC, and local news reports daily, keeping abreast of world and local events. His favorite shows were Judge Judy, First 48, Live PD and Cops. He was an avid sports fan, changing his allegiance to a team whenever he chose.
Wendell, as he was affectionately known, was a person that family and friends came to for financial assistance and advice and he shared what he could. Having been a very frugal (pennywise) man, he sought to be financially independent and was debt-free. He was fiercely independent, driving and cooking full meals as late as July. Otis’ sense of humor never diminished and he remained mentally sharp until his death.
Otis was predeceased by his wife Mildred to whom he was married 67 years, his parents, 3 brothers, Ward, Percy, and James (BooTee). He is survived by his sister Beulah Anderson, who is 97 years old, children Otis Curry (Sharon), James P. Curry, Sr. (Sherry), Margaret Curry-Williams (Portsmouth, Va.), and LaDonna Shropshire (with whom he lived his final days), 12 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, 9 great great grandchildren, and a host of sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends (who called frequently) and frequent visitors/granddogs, Rico and Meechie.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 12:00 p.m., on Saturday, August 26, 2017 at Trinity CME Church, located at 2253 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46205 with visitation from 10:00 a.m. Burial to immediately follow at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Crown Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery
Indianapolis, IN 46208
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