Kenneth Michael Phelps

Kenneth Michael Phelps, 68, of Boston, Kentucky, passed away peacefully in his daughter’s home in Lanesville, Indiana, on October 30, 2025. He handled his final months in the same way he handled everything else in life—both hands, elbow-deep, and with unshakable faither.

“Don’t be sad,” he told his children. “But if you have to be sad, keep it short.”

He never took that advice, though. From his birth on April 14, 1957, to Barrett and Marie Phelps, he lived and loved the long way. He was not the oldest sibling, but he was undeniably the firmest in his convictions. Right and wrong were clear cut lines in the sand, and he was never hesitant to offer help to those who could not navigate for themselves. His family and friends flocked to him as a beacon of conviction and wisdom. He could quote scripture, and could empathize from a well of life experience, if that is what people needed. He could also just sit and listen—let people talk and cry and rage and just be still. He never met strangers, never passed a person in need without offering what he had, and he always knew how to fix any problem, from a broken toy to a broken heart.

He was the original perfector of the Phelps goodbye, inching his way toward the door while still talking, never quite ready to say farewell. He put anyone at ease. He didn’t cut corners, or tread lightly, or falter in his beliefs. He knew where he stood, and anyone near him knew where they stood too.

He married young, had two children, and raised them with all the ferocity of a working man. He said that they changed his life, that he felt the hand of God reach out and present him with life-changing gifts. He built them up, offered hands of both guidance an discipline, and watched with pride as they made their ways in the world. He worked endlessly though illness and injury to provide, built snow worms with them in the winter, hammered together lemonade stands in the summer, and loved them effortlessly, even when they were difficult to love.

He never took on a job that did not get his entire devotion. He spent years leading a maintenance crew at TBA in Louisville, Kentucky. Eventually, he climbed behind the wheel of a semi and delivered car batteries for Ryder Dedicated Logistics. After a life-altering back surgery, he felt called to attend seminary and lead people to Christ. He never had a greater sense of purpose than when he stood in a pulpit, nervous sweat dripping from the tip of his nose, delivering the word of God. In his spare time, he enjoyed collecting old cars with the idea to restore them to their original glory.

He struggled with loss and grief, as all good and faithful followers do. First, he had his father, Barrett, taken from him in 1969, followed by his mother, Marie, in 1987. He lost his stepfather, Ollie Carter, in 1986, and his stepmother, Alice, in 2021. He eulogized and buried two brothers, Bobby in 2013, and Edwin in 2016. He grieved his first and second marriages, but he never gave up on finding his perfect partner. He met Debbie in 2014, and in her, her found his light and love. She relit a fire in him that reminded him that he was capable of loving and worthy of being loved. They built a home of laughter and peace, and his happiness was undeniable. When she passed away unexpectedly in 2017, the devastation never quite subsided for him or anyone who loved her.

The loved ones he leaves behind will carry that same devastation of unhealable loss: Aaron “Mickey” Phelps, and his wife, Erin; his daughter, Amanda “Mandy” Price, and her husband, Tom; his four perfect grandchildren, Aubrey, Preston, Waylon, and Rett; his brother, Ronny, and sister-in-law, Patty; his brothers, Paul Carter, Barry Phelps (Sheila), and Steven Phelps (Alison); his sisters, Rita Hughes and Ruthie Wheat; his sisters-in-law, Joyce Lee Phelps, married to Bobby, and Joyce Phelps, married to Edwin; his uncle, Herbie, and aunt, Gail, and a loyal army of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

With that sadness, though, comes the unquestionable fact that Kenneth knew his Savior and believed full-heartedly that his next destination was one of eternal peace and comfort. He shared this faith with countless, baptizing, marrying, and burying innumerable people in his quest to bring people closer to God.

Visitation will take place Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at Maraman Billings Funeral Home from 10 am until time of service. Funeral service Tuesday, November 4, 2025, beginning at 2 pm, burial to follow in Boston Christian Church Cemetery. 

Online condolences may be made at maramanbillings.com