David Carl Kern

David Carl Kern, age 52, of Plainfield, Indiana was born May 5th, 1971, in Indianapolis. He was the loving son, of Jim and Carole (Schroeder) Kern and was raised in Avon, Indiana.

David married his wife Lisa (Evans) in 1995, and they celebrated 28 years of true happiness this past June. His outgoing, friendly, and warm personality drew people to him, and together he and Lisa made an incredible number of amazing friends. David met Lisa while working in a Halloween haunted house in 1989, and they continued the tradition by decorating their home for Trick-or-Treaters every year, often hand-making new visual effects and surprises for visitors. David was always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need, from stopping on the street to help a stranded driver push their car out of the road, to proofreading Lisa’s long, boring master's thesis, to tearing down a barn in Muncie and bringing the wood to Avon to help build a house.

After graduating from Avon High School in 1989, David worked in several construction trades, and came to love running heavy equipment. He worked in the excavation industry for 30 years. David was a hard-working, do-it-yourself man; but he also believed that he “worked to live, he did not live to work”. As a result of this philosophy, he chose to spend all of his free time with his family. He loved to drive and never missed an opportunity to travel to see the natural beauty of the world, even if the drive would be long, and especially if the road was steep and rocky. David and Lisa took turns coming up with unique travel ideas and worked together to execute them. A twelve-hour drive after a long flight to Europe with a toddler? Why not? Driving his kids and his parents in an RV from Indiana to the Grand Canyon and 15 other national parks? Definitely! Kayak camping for four days in the wilderness? Yes! Driving through as many states (46) and countries (5) as he could just to find a geocache? Of course! David also loved brewing beer and was active in the Indianapolis MONK Club for several years. During that time, he won several State Fair Brewers Cup awards and a few Chili Bowl competitions, brewing a beer and making his famous spicy chili for the event. David introduced his family to the music of Rush, and together they attended as many Rush concerts as they could. He was a curious man who delighted in intellectual conversations, preferably around a campfire. His sense of adventure was unbounded, and he always made those around him feel safe.

David was the father of Evan Kern (Julielle Bowman) of Edwardsville, IL; and Kieran Kern of Plainfield. Being a father was the greatest joy of his life, and he loved his kids for all that they are. He was especially proud that they followed in his footsteps by becoming percussionists, and he never missed a performance. He will also be greatly missed by his loving parents, sister: Wendy (Kern) Shields (John), brother-in-law: Brian Evans (Jenni), sister-in-law: Andrea (Evans) Moberly (Matthew), parents-in-law: Tom and Elaine (Weaver) Evans, nieces and nephews: Miranda (Shields) Miniear (Seth), Nicole Shields, David Shields, Jei Moberly, Anna Moberly, Alex Moberly, Owen Evans, Lily Evans, and grandniece, Neoma Miniear.

David passed away on July 14th, 2023, at University Hospital in Indianapolis. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the American Liver Foundation or the National Park Foundation. 

Visitation will be Friday, July 21, 2023 in Hampton-Gentry Funeral Home from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm.  Funeral services will be Saturday, July 22, 2023 in the funeral home at 10:00 am.