A memorial service will be held Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 at the United Methodist Church in Dayton, IA for Eleanore Anna (Lesch) Nutt, age 87, of Dayton. Rev. John J. Hembry officiating and burial of her ashes will be at 11 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 16, 2000 at the Osage Cemetery, Osage, LA. There will also be a gathering at the United Methodist Church in Osage immediately following the burial here. She died early Sunday morning, Dec. 10, 2000 at her home in Dayton.

Eleanore was born Dec. 10, 1913 in Osage, LA the daughter of John and Anna (Graper) Witt. She grew up in rural Osage and attended schools in Plymouth, IA, graduating from Plymouth High School with the class of 1931. She then attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, IA graduating with a teaching certificate. Following her education, she taught school for several years in Mitchell County, LA. Eleanore was united in marriage to Leroy R. Lesch on June 25, 1939 in Plymouth, LA. They established their home on an acreage west of Osage. The couple owned and operated Lesch Oil Co. Leroy passed away on Jan. 29, 1971. On Oct. 23, 1976, Eleanore married Woodrow Nutt in Des Moines, IA. They moved to his farm in Dayton where they lived until Woodrow's death in 1988. She then moved to the Grandview Apts, in Dayton where she remained until her death.

Eleanore was a member of the United Methodist Church in Day-ton and also belonged to the United Methodist Women. She had belonged to the Dayton Golf and Country Club, Women's Club, Arts and Crafts Club, Exercise Club, Dayton Card Clubs and Dayton Dreamers. She was also active in the Dayton Development Group.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, Leroy R. Lesch on Jan. 29, 1971; husband, Woodrow M. Nutt on Apr. 18, 1988; two brothers, Harold Witt and Roy Witt: and a sister, Mildred Goplerud.

Those that survive her include her two sons and their wives, Gene and Elaine Lesch of Lake Panorama, IA and James and Dorothy Lesch of Nashville, TN; two grandchildren, Suzanne Lesch and Steve and his wife, Brenca Lesch; two great grandchildren, Tyler and Breanna Lesch; several brother and sister-in-laws and several nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be directed tc the Dayton Rescue Squad or the United Methodist Church in Dayton.

Source: Osage Press News Dec. 13, 2000 from the Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee, Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the web by Bill Waters