Dr. Victor Ernest Childers, 95, of Indianapolis, IN, died Tuesday, June 23, 2026 in Indianapolis.
He was was born on June 3, 1931 and raised at Sandhill by his parents, Robert Ernest and Edna Matlick Childers. He attended Chaney School, and then Rutledge High School, where he was the sole graduate of the final class of 1950. He earned a B.A. in Business Education from Northeast Missouri State University in 1955.
Victor moved to Kansas City to work for Nutrena Feeds following graduation. There, he met Marian Kasper at a church group for young people. They were married in Kansas City in 1960.
The Childers moved to New York City, then Victor enrolled in Indiana University, Bloomington in 1962. He completed a Doctorate of Business Administration in June 1967, then moved to Indianapolis to join the faculty of the Business School.
Victor had many opportunities to live and teach overseas including East Pakistan, Venezuela, the Semester at Sea, and The Netherlands. After retiring from IU in 1995, he continued to find interesting short-term opportunities with other universities or missions, especially with the Citizens Democracy Corps in the former USSR. In all, Victor traveled to 80 countries and territories, visiting every continent. He was always interested in seeing someplace new.
Victor always enjoyed being on the farm and looked forward to the next visit, which was often not soon enough for him. He cherished his family and friends deeply and tried to “keep it a small world” with as many of them as he could.
His strong Christian faith has sustained him throughout his life, including the death of Marian, and his final illness.
Victor is survived by his daughters, Katharine (Larry) Martin and Jean (Richard) Childers-Arnold; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren that delighted him. He loved them all deeply and unconditionally. His legacy to them is a fondness for travel and discovery. His kind, gentle spirit has been an inspiration to them all.
2 comments
Victor welcomed me to the Kelley School in 1997. We found a special connection in that we both attended Northeast Missouri State University (Truman State University). We also enjoyed talking about travels and business. He had so many interesting experiences and great advice. Victor was a great colleague and will be greatly missed. I pray that you find his faith comforting in these difficult times.
Professor Childers was a kind, caring man. He would always treat my young daughters with acceptance when.they would come for take your daughters to work day.
He would always bring something back to the office after one of his trips.
The world is less kind without Dr Childers
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