Esther Joy Stratton Witmer, 106, Tipton
Obituaries · January 29, 2015
Esther Joy Stratton Witmer, 106, died peacefully Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, at her home in Prairie Hills Assisted Living, in Tipton.
Memorial services were Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, at United Methodist Church in Tipton, with the Rev. Paul Frederickson officiating. Burial of her cremated remains followed in Healy Cemetery in Moscow, Iowa. Visitation was Monday at Fry Funeral Home in Tipton. Online condolences may be shared at www.fryfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established for the Tipton Ambulance Service and Tipton United Methodist Church.
Esther was born Dec. 2, 1908, in West Branch, Iowa, the daughter of Charles and Maud Branson Stratton. She graduated as salutatorian of the Class of 1927 of West Branch High School. She attended Iowa Wesleyan College and University of Iowa.
She was a teacher in the rural schools for three years before marrying LeRoy Witmer on June 6, 1931, in West Branch. They had two children, Richard Edwin and Shirley Jean.
In 1941, they moved to the farm they had purchased west of Tipton, where they lived until moving to Tipton in 1974. Esther liked farming and the country life. In 1949, she wrote “A Country to Woman’s Creed.” In 2005, she moved to Prairie Hills, which she called home until her death.
She was an active member of Tipton United Methodist Church and Farm Bureau, having served as state chairman of the Women’s Farm Bureau for four years, and was an Iowa Master Farm Homemaker. She was a member of Chapter DY P.E.O., and the 19th Century Club. Esther enjoyed quilting and was an avid reader and crossword puzzle worker.
Esther is survived by her son, Richard (wife Patricia), Indianapolis, Ind.; four grandchildren: Mark Frederick (wife Julie), Lynn Brown (husband Steve), Richard Witmer Jr. (wife Jo Ellen) and Cindi Woods (husband Len); great-grandchildren, Christi, Richard Witmer III, Kellie and David, Walter and Jack, Steve and Nicole; and five great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, LeRoy; daughter, Jean; her parents; and three sisters: Maureen Perry (John), Geraldine Daut (Donald) and Violet Witmer (Robert).
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