Herbert Allan Wells - Obituary

Herbert Allan Wells , 67, from Monticello, Indiana, passed away on June 5, 2026, due to complications from copremesis. He is survived by his current wife, Rita Fay Wells, 59, of Monticello, Indiana, and several children from his current and previous marriages. He was estranged from most of his children as well as his grandchildren for many years due to a variety of reasons known and unknown. In 2024, Herbert was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer which advanced to stage 4B (inoperable; metastasized to the liver) in 2025. His life was a mix of created content, self-inflicted results, and cause-and-effect scenarios which certain individuals wish to highlight and summarize today.

In various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Herbert Wells was known as John Parker, a digital content creator from Lexington, MA, who did not actually create any form of content but rather re-posted and forwarded content matter that fell under his particular viewpoints and interests. In real life, Herbert was a simple man with simple needs, such as announcing on a routine basis that he fully supported the Republican Party, ICE agents, MAGA events and ideology, as well as all actions of Donald J. Trump Jr. He watched game shows at the max volume level and was unapologetic when he engaged his opposing views in online debates over subjects such as women’s rights, LGBTQ+ community topics, separation of church and state, and the humane treatment of immigrants. Over the years, Herbert announced to family and friends that he was a veteran proud of his service to the United States of America. His current wife, Rita Wells, created a couple of online funding pages starting in 2025 with titles such as, “A Veteran in Dire Need” requesting any and all financial support to cover such things as medical bills, security deposit and several months rent for a new apartment, replacement engine/ transmission for Herbert’s truck, and an anniversary vacation. What many of Herbert Wells’ family and friends and online acquaintances do not know is that Herbert and his most recent wife Rita Wells have been named, individually and collectively, in multiple lawsuits by various businesses, the IRS, the Indiana Department of Revenue, the State of Indiana probate court, etc. In one of these recent lawsuits involving both Herbert and Rita Wells, it came to light that an attorney for the State of Indiana did investigate and confirm that neither Herbert A. Wells nor Rita F. Wells have ever served in any branch or part of any armed service in the United States of America. They both have sadly engaged in stolen valor behavior and have attempted to reap the benefits that should be reserved for only those that are truly current or former service members. A few months ago, the online funding websites removed the accounts created by Rita Wells and others on behalf of Herbert Wells that claimed Herbert was a veteran.

In addition to the history of multiple civil lawsuits, Herbert Wells, though not named directly as an heir, was involved in a probate lawsuit brought on by his in-laws regarding his late father-in-law, David B. Ratliff’s, estate. Herbert’s recent wife, Rita Wells, was named in 2017 power of attorney for David B. Ratliff and took over all accounts and funds in 2020. However, Rita and Herbert did not provide any care for David until he moved in with them in 2021. David B. Ratliff’s other adult children attempted to remain involved in David’s life and care, however, Rita and Herbert refused all requests for accountings and all offers of assistance from the other adult children who wished to assist with David’s care. David B. Ratliff passed away in October 2023 leaving many questions and no answers from either Herbert A. Wells or Rita F. Wells regarding what happened to David over the course of the approximately 30 months when he was under their care.  

In 2026 at the conclusion of a lengthy probate lawsuit, Rita Wells was found to have violated her fiduciary responsibilities to provide care for David B. Ratliff. During the last 30 months of David’s life, Herbert Wells and his recent wife Rita Wells utilized for their own personal gain and enjoyment an amount of $113,090.77 from David’s checking account as well as charging over $19,434.48 on David’s credit card. Herbert was found to have cashed multiple checks written by Rita Wells on David’s personal checking account to pay for such things as Herbert’s car payments, the purchase and maintenance of his purebred German Shepard dog – Leonidus (including care, doggy daycare, dog training, and vet bills), restaurant dining for Herbert and Rita only, as well as personal vacations for just Herbert and Rita. After David passed away in October 2023, Rita was legally removed as executor of the estate. Herbert and Rita Wells along with their adult daughter Kaitlyn were formally evicted from the house owned by David B. Ratliff which was willed to the heirs of the estate. The house was extensively damaged by Herbert and Rita Wells’ dogs and their overall lack of care and maintenance of the home during the 18 months they resided in the house (9 months for which they did not pay the mortgage or any utilities). After recovering David’s home from the start of foreclosure proceedings, David’s youngest son was able to renovate the home for sale.

Once the probate suit started, Herbert and Rita Wells utilized social media to gain support from family and friends framing the context of the various stages of the probate lawsuit in light of them being wronged even though the attorneys and judges all decided in favor of the in-laws who brought forth the suit against Rita Wells (naming Herbert Wells as a willing participant and benefactor). Both Herbert and Rita Wells posted several slanderous statements against his in-laws regarding the probate court proceedings, eviction, and lawsuit results claiming they (Herbert and Rita) spent over $30,000 in repairs to the father-in-law’s house. No receipts were ever discovered to support Herbert's claim. David Ratliff's bank statements and receipts did show Herbert and Rita rented/ purchased furniture, appliances, and other personal items using only the father-in-law’s money. The courts have thus far found only in favor of the plaintiffs in all cases where Herbert Wells and/or Rita Wells are named as defendants. And to add one more final piece of evidence, Herbert and Rita Wells stole the last tax refund of $3429.69 in April 2024 claiming to still be the legal executor of the estate despite a court order removing Rita Wells from that role and revoking her access to the estate funds. The reason for this last theft was due to Herbert and Rita being unable to secure an apartment having no money saved for the deposit even though they had not paid any mortgage, rent, or utilities for 9 months while living in David Ratliff’s home after he passed away in October 2023.

A final last thing to submit regarding the person and character of Hebert Allan Wells involves his online social media posting on December 23, 2024, stating, “Still trying to verify it but I may have had a little bit of good news over this holiday season. One of my wife's brothers passed away…If we can confirm this, I will do a happy dance on his grave, if I can find it. I will go by some of the cheapest liquor I can find, go to White Castle and eat about a 1/2 dozen of their sliders. Then I'll go pay tribute on his grave site. I will fertilize his grass and water it multiple times.”

While someone reading this may wonder why family would post such things about someone who passed away, you must understand what kind of person Herbert Wells was when he was alive. As far as I’m concerned, I have done my duty to quietly wait until his passing and then post fully and unequivocally the facts of how Herbert chose to live his life. Now that Herbert is gone, may he be judged appropriately and severely by whatever higher power there is in the next life.