G. Michael Loveall

Michael Loveall “The Making of a C-Minus Guy” Loveall, unlike Dylan Thomas, “went gentle into the good night.” To the end there was no need for fear or anxiety because his world was somewhere in his past in remembrance of a life lived through opportunities, talents, deeds, adventures (good or bad), ethereal moments within self, and Family. He passed away Tuesday evening, June 28, 2022 at the age of 75.

He was raised as a Christian; believed in its philosophical truths, taught Sunday school for 22 years, raised in the Masonic order, became a Knights Templar, walked to Emmaus, but believed that if there were a God there would be no room in his love for Hell. Loveall adopted the teaching of Socrates as to everlasting life in that he would either be in heaven or in an endless dreamless sleep. Therefore, there was hope of the unknown or an unknown nothingness.

Michael Loveall was born on December 3, 1946, in Brazil, Indiana to his parents, Jack and Jackie Loveall. He had on older sister, Sally who was born during World War II. Like most people of that era, the Lovealls were hand to mouth and yet they had it better than most because they shared a house with the maternal grandparents, George and Charlotte Kerr, and their daughter, Susie. Mike’s grandfather, George Kerr had played professional baseball, was a school principal and thus from the beginning Mike was oriented toward sports and academics. From his father, Jack Loveall, he learned of the woods and natures gifts; thus at an early age to hunt and fish. This dichotomy was apparent to the end of his life; the objective to the subjective. At age seven (7), Loveall went to work on Saturdays as a substitute paper carrier for which he received a bottle of pop and a donut for his services. His pay increased to twenty-five cents a day on all days but Friday, when he received fifty cents to collect the route. At age nine (9), he took over the paper route carrying one hundred twenty Brazil Daily Times and forty-three Indianapolis Newspapers each day, but Sunday. Mike also had jobs weeding the neighbors flower gardens by hand, selling Stanley Home products (natural bristle toothbrushes) door to door to pay for his trip to the Boy Scout National Jamboree in Colorado Springs, and selling popcorn in the bleachers at high school basketball games where he made a penny per box.

To be involved in sports, he quit his evening paper route and began to carry the Terre Haute Star each morning at 4:00 AM until he graduated from high school. Mike also passed leaflets door-to-door for the neighborhood butcher, put up hay for most farmers in the Poland area, was a cage boy at the YMCA (passing out equipment), and swept sand out of the Brazil swimming pool.

Mike controlled the pigeon population in downtown Brazil by BB gun, then pellet gun, and ultimately by a 22 rifle with the awareness of the police department in that they would ask, “how many pigeons killed today.” He would do most things requested to make money that really never changed throughout his life. Mike worked at sewer tile factory, ceramic tile factory, roofing company, retail sales at a bargain mart, steel factory, and brass fittings factory.

At Franklin College, Mike was the pot and pan man (dishwasher) while president of his fraternity, washed dishes at the stags of the American Legion, baby sat for the Vice President of Franklin College, and worked full time at LS Ayers while being a full time college student. The list could go on and on but enough said. At Brazil High School, Mike was involved in five sports lettering in three. The sports were football, basketball, baseball, track (shot put), and wrestling. He won conference and valley awards in football. He was the most valuable baseball player and was the Keller Award (outstanding athlete) winner in his senior year. Mike received a scholarship to Franklin College to play football and baseball. At Franklin College, Mike played both ways (offense and defense) for three years on the football team. He was all Hoosier College Conference, all National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), won the outstanding offense lineman award, and two (2) defensive awards as a football player. Also at Franklin he played baseball two (2) years and golf two (2) years.

Loveall was contacted by America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, to play football at the next level during the spring of 1968. At first blush, he was overwhelmed, prideful, and excited about the opportunity to do so. But, after talking with his line coach concerning ways to improve his quickness, speed and strength, considering the fact that a lineman in the NFL made $20,000 per year and had a playing life expectancy of 3 years, (if they made the team at all), that he had been accepted to law school and to interrupt his education might mean he would never go back, and that his deferment was over and Viet Nam loomed in his horizon, Mike thanked the Dallas organization and chose a different route. In all candor Loveall even before “Dirty Harry”, would have said “man must know his limitations”.

At Franklin College, Mike went from C student to Dean’s list student, each semester being better than the one before. He was a President (Eminent Archon) of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) and also held the offices of Vice President, Steward, and Chaplain. Mike won the Besser-Lindsey national fraternity award given by the national office to a member based upon academics, athletics, and leadership. The only other member to ever have won this award at Franklin College was the Honorable Dean Evans, former Secretary of Education in Indiana. Mike was a member of the History Honorary, Phi Alpha Theta, and on various committees and groups, including the President’s Fact Committee.

In April 1968, being hawkish on the war in Viet Nam, he applied to the United States Navy’s Officer Candidate School and was tentatively accepted subject to the physical which he later failed as a result of a shattered knee cap received in a football game against Wabash College. Having been accepted to the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Mike spent the next three years in law school while working as a houseparent in a juvenile correctional facility taking care of delinquent inner city boys.

After graduating law school with a Juris Doctorate in 1971, Mike entered practice in Franklin, Indiana. He was considered to be a plaintiff’s lawyer, criminal lawyer, and divorce lawyer. Although so tagged, no mold seemed to fit for many thought him to be somewhat eccentric. He viewed himself differently in that life’s normalcy bored him, as did pigeonholes. Like his life in general, he was able to become a top rated trial lawyer. At one time, his firm was responsible for the highest plaintiff’s verdicts ever in ten cases in Johnson County, he was involved in over twenty-five (25) homicides, represented 500 mile race winners and drag racing champions, celebrities, NFL coaches, and represented the IHSAA in two cases, however, most held him out as a divorce lawyer. Mike thought his greatest compliments came from those he tried cases against: Once, Mike was retained by a local attorney to prevent him from representing the lawyer’s client’s wife in a divorce action when Mike didn’t know the parties. Again he was told by a trial lawyer, “ no one thinks as fast as you do.” He thought of trials, much like Lombardi did as to football, “winning is everything within the rules.” As to criminal cases, Mike felt he would have never lost a case if he could raise the defense of “stupid.” As to all cases, he felt that there would no need for lawyers, if people would apply the philosophical meaning behind the “Golden Rule .”

Loveall was admitted to practice law in Indiana, the District Court of Southern Indiana, and the Federal Court of Appeals in Chicago, Illinois. He was a member of the Indiana Bar Association, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Johnson County Bar Association (Past President), named Who’s Who among trial lawyers in America, and was a register mediator. Mike also taught Administrative Law at Franklin College, was past president of the Franklin Boys and Girls Club, member of the Hillview Country Club for over twenty-five (25) years, Associate Director of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, and a partner in the Indianapolis Racer Professional Hockey team which ultimately gave Wayne Gretsky his first job while Gretsky attended Shortridge High School in Indianapolis.

After retirement from the practice of law in 2000, Mike continued as a mediator for fifteen years and became an offensive line coach at Franklin College. His life experiences were many: He attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree as a Life Scout and shook hands with President Eisenhower, also the Lennon Sisters sat on his bed in the infirmary. He won trips to Washington DC, Fort Knox, and St. Louis as a paperboy. He blew things up with using a combination of carbide, water, whiskey bottles and fire. Unbeknownst to his mother, he explored the mineshafts and washouts by candlelight that lay below the City of Brazil. Mike and his father used dynamite to clear trees from fence-rows (blew the hell out of stuff).

Mike felt that in his life only two (2) people ever really knew him, his father, Jack Loveall and his wife, Laura Hudson Loveall. Mike was an idiosyncratic man with tendencies to shock for reaction, to overanalyze to disarm and to game play for effect. He never shut down and his mind continued to wonder or wander. Mike viewed life as a learning experience with something to learn each day. He loved trivia, but had little time for life’s trivial things and ridiculous ideas propounded to be the gospel, according to the speaker or spokesman for the idea propounded. His wife, Laura, knew that this was his way and just shook her head, as her form of acknowledgement, which allowed him to rant on about things that she was indifferent to as to their meaning. Laura, as did Mike’s father, allowed Mike to be himself without polish or societal convention and their acceptance of him as just the way he is demonstrated not only love, but understanding.

Mike was blessed and survived by his wife, Laura “Laurie” Hudson Loveall, five (5) children, Stacia (David), Josh (Alice), Cole (Alyssa), Jill (Gabriel) and Chase and two (2) step-children, Ryan and Kevin O’Maley. Also surviving Mike were a granddaughter, Campbell, and eight grandsons, Dane, Jackson, Nicholas, Michael, Mitchell, West, Boone, and Beau;  his sister, Sally L. Newell (Larry) of Tolono, IL, his aunt, Susie Tucker (Jack) of Brazil, his father-in-law, Dale Hudson of Terre Haute and Holmes Beach, FL, sisters-in-law, Meg Merrill (Bill) of Terre Haute and Julie Cutter (Rob) of Fishers, IN, and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

I’ve known Mike all my life, probably better than most, the tale is over now and perhaps you know him a little better too. Mike was a trial lawyer, mediator, college instructor, Sunday school teacher, substitute preacher when called upon, poet (first published by Franklin College 1967, again in 1968, and his book of poems, “Two Faces” published 1976, writer, athlete, coach, son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather, but perhaps his most enduring quality was to tell a story with or without tongue in cheek. Not bad, “for a C minus guy just going through life.” Sincerely, Blaine Meridian.

Per Mike’s wishes there will be no services. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home, 605 South 25 ^th St.  Should friends so desire, donations may be made to the charity of their choice.  Funeral information and tributes may be found at www.callahanandhughes.com