- Date Of Birth: July 8, 1929
- Date Of Death: May 31, 2019
- State: Iowa
Burton “Burt” Eugene Lothe, the son of Lewis and Fern Hesson Lothe was born on July 8, 1929 in Newton Iowa. Later that year, October 24, 1929, the stock market would crash and send our country into a deep depression. Burt always commented, “The last thing the family needed was another mouth to feed.”
Burton was the youngest of four boys. The family rented a farm north of Newton in Jasper County. When Burt was 12 years old, his father Lewis and the two oldest boys of the family were killed in a car-train accident. The remaining family was forced to move into town where Fern took a job and her sister and husband, Doris and Clayton Bisom, helped raise Burton. Burton always considered Doris to be his “second” mother and was very grateful for her presence in his life.
Following his graduation from Newton High School, Class of 1947, Burton worked with his brother Alan at Lothe Feed Store just a few blocks off the Newton Square. He also worked as a machine inspector for the Maytag company. Burt served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950-1954 during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged on Sept. 12, 1954. Burton always liked to work with his hands doing construction and large building projects. He became an apprentice and eventually a journeyman pipe fitter with Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 33 Des Moines. He was recently honored with his 50-year membership in the brotherhood. He traveled many places in Iowa and outside of Iowa, primarily working on power plant facilities.
On June 30, 1962, Burton married the love of his life, Elizabeth M. Boitnott. The couple celebrated their 50-year wedding anniversary on June 30, 2012. Together they raised two boys. Over the years their family would go on to include the addition of two daughters-in-law (who became like their own daughters), Colette and Mary and seven grandchildren. Burt and Liz loved to spoil their grandchildren, for example taking each grandchild one at a time on their very own special trip. They spent their retirement years traveling many places within and outside the country.
Burton and Elizabeth spent their last years at Park Centre, a Wesley life community in Newton. Here he made many new friends and renewed old friendships as well. His brother Alan had an apartment down the hall and they would have dinner together most evenings with their special table group in the dinning room.
Burt’s wife, Liz had once quipped that, “these are the ones left to redeem the family name,” his sons, Scott (Colette) Lothe of Marshalltown and Eric (Mary) Lothe of Urbandale; grandchildren, Christopher Lothe, Andy Lothe, Daniel Lothe, Allison (Stephen) Matychuk, Joseph (Alex) Lothe, Anna Lothe and Phillip Lothe; and his brother, Alan Lothe of Newton.
Burt was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Elizabeth “Liz” in 2013; and his two brothers, Darrell and Duane.
