Ethel Oaks

Ethel Oaks age 95, a resident of Crawfordsville, Indiana, passed away Thursday, January 22, 2026. She was a graduate of Eubank High School in 1949. A lifelong member of the Baptist faith, Ethel’s talents were many, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

She enjoyed camping when younger and still enjoyed a campfire well into her nineties. Ethel was born near Eubank, Kentucky as the youngest child of Caleb and Viola Hargis. She grew up in a large family of 11 children and rejoiced in stories of her youth on the farm. Her early life was a simple one around the old log cabin farmhouse. Most recently she recalled a story of planting the family garden with her father. She spoke of walking long distances to church on Sundays and the summer days of Kentucky during her early years. The planting and harvesting of tobacco and gathering of coal from a small local shallow mine near her home. It was a simple hard life, but one she cherished. After graduation she followed her older sisters to Crawfordsville, Indiana for work. She worked at the local shirt factory as a seamstress and lived with Myrtle Hargis, her oldest sister.

She met Gaffer L. Oaks and married in May of 1955. A first child, Larence, was born two years later while living near Ladoga, Indiana. The following year they moved to a home in New Ross, Indiana and she was a homemaker. A second child, Cheryl, was born four years later. The family moved in and around Montgomery County during the children’s early childhood. When the children were of school age, she rejoined the workforce as a nurse’s aide and worked in that field the rest of her life. She enjoyed traveling and visiting with family in her later years, especially with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was an avid University of Kentucky basketball fan and as the years went by also followed the Indiana Pacers. She relished visits with her sister Mae and her family in Kentucky. Her hobbies included puzzles, coloring and listening to audio books.

She is survived by her children, Larence (Susan) Oaks and Cheryl (Ed) Collins; grandchildren Ashley (James) Clary, Christopher (Melissa) Oaks, and Krystal (Derrick) Brown; great grandchildren, Christian and Emma Brown, Sophie Clary, and Henry Oaks. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express our thanks for the wonderful help and care given by Tampa General Hospital.

Visitation will be held on Friday January 30, 2026 at Sanders Funeral Care, 315 S Washington Street in Crawfordsville, IN from 1pm until the time of the service at 2pm. Burial will follow at Stoner Cemetery in Ladoga. Share memories and condolences at www.SanderFuneralCare.com.