Ted Ray Brock May 3, 1938 – October 21, 2025
Ted Ray Brock lived his 87 years exactly the way he wanted — strong-willed, stubborn, and full of grit, yet with a heart big enough to hold his entire family and then some. Born May 3, 1938, Ted married the love of his life, Marlene, on December 23, 1956. The two built a life together filled with love, hard work, laughter, and four children who adored them: Vickie (Alan) Haltom, Kim Brock, Russell (Annie) Brock, and Jennifer (Jeffrey) Henderson.
Ted was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marlene (Russell) (2008); parents, James and Sallie Brock; sisters, Flossie, Clyda, and Chelcie; half-brothers, Clarence and Evart; brother, Gene; and best friend, Mike Stephenson. He is survived by his siblings Lorene, Irene, and Larry; seven grandchildren — Matthew Woods, Shelby (Terry Heymig) Haltom, Nathan (Rachel) Brock, Kayla (Stefan) Fisher, Tyler (Brandee) Brock, Nora Brock, and Jordyn Henderson — and eighteen great-grandchildren, all of whom knew that if they ever needed help, Papaw would be there, tools in hand, ready to figure it out.
A proud Teamster, Ted worked for Yellow Freight for 22 years before retiring. He took great pride in being part of that brotherhood — the kind of man who’d give a solid handshake, a straight answer, and a “copy” or “ten-four” to just about anything that made sense. His coworkers called him “Teddy Bear” — partly for his size and strength, but mostly for the soft heart he hid beneath that tough exterior.
In his younger years, Ted loved a cold beer, a good smoke, a cool car, a loud truck, and a fishing pole. He was the guy who rolled his cigarettes up in his shirt sleeve and always had a project going — if something was broken, Ted was fixing it. And if that didn’t go as planned, well, it might end up thrown across the yard. Later in life, his tools of choice were a deck of cards, a good joke, and a Fireball shooter in his pocket. He spent countless hours at Coatesville O’Knappys and the Stacks II in Clayton, where he was known for giving waitresses a hard time and never missing a single day of coffee and conversation.
He was the kind of dad who didn’t just teach lessons — he showed them. When Russell’s friends came by one day to pick him up, Ted pointed to a pile of bricks and said, “You’ve got two choices: you can help, or you can leave.” They stayed. That’s how you learned work ethic in the Brock household.
And then there was that old 1976 Ford F-150 — his pride and joy. He bought it brand new, straight off the delivery truck, and kept it for years. One day, after getting it stuck while dumping trash, he managed to spin the tires so hot the whole truck caught fire. Most people would’ve panicked, but Ted just shook his head, grabbed the tractor, and handled it like only he could.
Ted lived life on his own terms. He loved fiercely, worked tirelessly, and gave endlessly. Even when he was supposed to be taking it easy, he’d hop on the mower — usually ending up stuck in the ditch — and grin like a kid caught doing something he shouldn’t.
He was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend who proved that love is best shown through action. He leaves behind a family who will miss his laugh, his stories, his stubborn streak, and his steady presence that made everything feel taken care of.
The world won’t see another like Ted Ray Brock — and that’s probably for the best, because it would take more than one lifetime to handle him.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, November 2nd from 1pm -4pm at Brock’s Barn 6848 West County Road 700 S Coatesville, IN 46121. Family and friends are invited to share in food, stories, laughter, as we remember and celebrate Ted — just the way he would have wanted.
In lieu of flowers, please take this opportunity to help someone in need or tip your favorite waitress in memory of Ted.
