INDIANAPOLIS — The community is rallying behind an iconic bar on the north side of Indy going through a tough time.
The Red Key Tavern has been in the Settle family for more than 70 years.
Second generation owner Jim Settle lost his wife, Dollie, to cancer in January and now he’s preparing to undergo open-heart surgery on Monday.
“I work here on Saturday nights, and I’ll come in to a full bar. There are people here until last call, it’s a place of celebration,” said family-friend and long-time employee, Nora Spitznogle.
This Saturday, the normally bustling bar sat empty, closed to lay one of their beloved owners to rest.
”Dollie has worked here for decades. She and Jim actually met at the Red Key,” said Spitznogle. “I’ve been calling Dollie the matriarch of the bar. She was the one who was here everyday. We’re famous for our cheeseburgers, award-winning, and that was all dolly, hand-patted with love.”
Now, some of that love in the bar is gone.
Amid the family’s grief, Jim is preparing for yet another battle of his own.