Eddie Lee Ballenger

Eddie Lee Ballenger, age 65, passed at his home from a brief illness on Sunday, January 29, 2023. Eddie was born on January 9, 1958, in Tipton, IN to his parents Audra (Furnish) and Robert Ballenger. He was a graduate of the 1976 class of Marion High School. 

Family was supremely important to Eddie. He traveled away to Texas after finishing high school where he experienced life with friends working on the tugboats along the Gulf of Mexico. This was a very defining experience for him, and something he shared about often. He moved back to Indiana to be closer to family and ended up taking over the home his family had lived in for 2 prior generations. He loved sitting around the kitchen table or the fire pit with friends and family and telling stories. He loved teaching his dog Nora new tricks. She would retrieve the mail and jump through hula-hoops, and he couldn’t wait to show off the latest trick to all those who would watch. 

He provided for his family with unrelentless tenacity. There was no job too difficult for him to accomplish. He enjoyed his time working at the Sisters of St. Joseph here in Tipton and using his green thumb at the greenhouses of Heartland Growers where he retired from. He was always the first to tell you to “give life a shot.” He had great joy and pride for his family. 

Eddie was a very kind and thoughtful man. He had a heart of gold and always wanted the best for those around him. One of his favorite activities was tending to his garden. He would often set up the neighborhood tomato stand for all the neighbors to take produce free of charge as well as canning pickles to pass out to family and friends each year. He loved to create with his hands and share that love with family and friends. 

Those left to carry on Eddie’s legacy are his son and daughter in law Blake and Mackenzie Ballenger (Kelley), his mother Audra Furnish and his sisters Beth (David) Roach, Cindy (Mike) Robinson and Traci (Rick) Waggoner. 

Eddie was preceded in death by his father, Robert Ballenger and his step-father James Furnish. 

A funeral service celebrating Eddie’s life will be held on Friday, February 3, 2023 at Taylor & Cowan Funeral Home, located at 314 N. Main St. In Tipton with Pastor Johnnie Blair officiating. A visitation for family & friends will be held prior to the service from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at the funeral home. Burial will take place in Sharpsville Cemetery immediately following the service.  

Taylor & Cowan Funeral Home is honored to serve the Ballenger family in their time of need. Please feel free to leave an online condolence or share a special memory of Eddie with his family on his tribute wall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Eddie’s honor can be made to Tipton County Humane Society. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Eddie Lee Ballenger, please visit our floral store.