Milton J. Luttrell, Jr.

Milton Joshua Luttrell, Jr., passed away February 19, 2026, in Pendleton, IN. Memorial services will be at Seals Funeral Home & Cremation Services on Friday, April 10, 2026, at 6:00 P.M. Visitation will be from 5:00-6:00 P.M. Interment of the urns of Milton and Betty Luttrell, Jr. will be on Friday, July 10, 2026, in Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN.

MJ is survived by his children, Leanne (Eddy) Franke, Milton J. Luttrell III (Valerie), his daughter-in-law, Korbi (Norman) Luttrell, his brother, Douglas (Judy) Luttrell, his grandchildren, Andy Franke, Amy Franke (Ezra) Thomas, Kasy (Luttrell) (Jeff) Boettcher, Grace Luttrell, Joshua Luttrell IV, David (Theresa) Luttrell, Elexis (Luttrell) (David) Corgan, Frank Luttrell, and Eddie (Alyssa) Luttrell, his great-grandchildren, Levi and Lucy Thomas, Leona, Liliana, and Lyla Boettcher, Xavier Luttrell, Aurora and Conan Corgan, his sister-in-law, Cissy (Henson) Luttrell, his special nephews and niece, Mike Hume, Pat Hume and Shannon Hume Schwartz, and many nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death in 2012 was his beloved wife of 60 years, Betty Lou Hume Luttrell, and his son, Norman Luttrell (2015), who battled a brain tumor for many years. He was also preceded in death by his mother, Della Marie Stapp Stricklen, his stepfather, Wayne Stricklen, his father, Milton Joshua Luttrell, Sr., his brothers, Clifton Aaron Lawson, Floyd William (Bonita) Luttrell, Guy Henson Luttrell, James Luttrell (MIA in Vietnam), his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Bonnie Jean (Hume) (Pete) Blood, and his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Chet and Irene Hume.

MJ grew up with two older brothers, Floyd and Henson, on the Stapp family farm, a tobacco farm in the foothills of Appalachia, approximately seven miles northeast of Liberty, KY. The farm had been in the family for a couple of generations and was currently owned by his grandmother and grandfather, Mama (Lucy Foley) and Papa (Floyd Stapp). When MJ was 14, his grandfather (Papa) died. This affected him greatly. Due to his parents’ divorce, Papa and Mama raised him and his brothers with Papa as the constant male presence in their lives until then. The Stapp farm was a revolving door of family, seminary students, and others who needed a pillow and offered a helping hand.

MJ and his brothers attended Stapp School, a one room school down the dirt road from the farm until 8th grade. He did not have the opportunity to attend high school due to the distance and lack of transportation where the secondary school was located, something he always resented. When his oldest child started each school year, he read through all the textbooks, always eager and thirsty for knowledge, especially history.

MJ was in the Air Force for two years and was trained as a teletype operator. Some of the places he was sent to included California, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Hawaii, the Philippines, and Minnesota. While stationed in Duluth, MN, he went on a blind date and met a pretty girl in Minneapolis named Betty. When it was time to go on leave, he returned home to Liberty, KY with his now wife, Betty. She stayed with his grandmother (Mama), on the farm until he completed his time in the Air Force.

After being discharged from the Air Force, MJ returned to Liberty, obtained his GED, then he and Betty moved to Indianapolis, IN where he went to school using his GI Bill for radio and television repair. During this time their daughter, Leanne, was born. After a time, they moved to Minneapolis where he worked doing television and radio repair. MJ and Betty moved several times in their lives between Minnesota, Indiana, and Kentucky. In Harrodsburg, KY, they had two sons, Milton (Milty) and Norman. In 1961, they moved back to a dairy farm near Ogilvie, MN. MJ worked on the farm while Betty worked various jobs (waitressing and in long-term care facilities) while assisting with the management of farming and raising children. In 1972, they sold the farm and moved to Braham, MN. By this time, Betty had obtained her LPN license. With farming still in his blood, they returned to Kentucky and operated another dairy farm while Betty worked at the hospital in Somerset, KY, eventually returning to Indianapolis where Betty obtained her RN license, first her 2-year degree and then her 4-year RN degree. They moved from Indianapolis to Fortville, IN to be closer to their daughter’s children. They spent many memorable times with their grandson and granddaughter. During this time, they sponsored an exchange student, Marianne, from Norway for a school year. Her family made a visit which they enjoyed. MJ and Betty enjoyed learning about another culture and eventually in retirement went to Norway to visit, which was a highlight of their lives. MJ worked in maintenance at apartment complexes while Betty continued to work at a hospital and home care until they both eventually retired. As the grandchildren graduated from high school and college, they decided in 2005 to return to Minnesota to be near both their sons’ families.

MJ and his brothers grew up playing guitar. For extra money, he became part of a polka/country band when they lived at the farm in Ogilvie, MN. He played in dance halls on Friday and Saturday nights in east central Minnesota, often traveling during snowstorms, getting home late, and having cows to milk in just a few short hours.

When Betty passed in 2012, he tried a year in Minnesota on his own. Betty had been the glue. MJ decided to return to Indiana where his daughter and her family lived. He found a condo and managed with guidance to live there until 2025 when his health started to fail. He moved to assisted living where his health continued to decline.

MJ was a country boy, son, grandson, brother, nephew, husband, brother-in-law, uncle, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, farmer, philosopher, and hard worker who loved music and playing guitar. Most of all, he was a kind, quiet man and very loved.

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