Leoria C. Puterbaugh

Leoria Puterbaugh, 86

Webber College

WINTER HAVEN -- Mrs. Leoria Chadwell Puterbaugh, who worked in the business office at Webber College and owned a mobile home park, came from a family known for its longevity.

"Many of her ancestors lived to be over 100. In fact, one of her brothers lived to be over 100," said her son, Robert "Bob" E. Puterbaugh of Lakeland. "Her ancestors generally lived into their 80s and 90s and some over 100." He described his mother as a happy, vibrant lady.

Mrs. Puterbaugh died of heart failure Sunday (Sept. 10, 2006). She was 86.

Born in LaFollette, Tenn., on July 26, 1920, she was the youngest of 11 children. She was a direct, fifth-generation descendent of Capt. David Chadwell, a Revolutionary War hero who served in the Virginia House of Delegates during the 1770s, Bob Puterbaugh said, noting that Chadwell lived past 100.

Mrs. Puterbaugh married Robert Franklin Puterbaugh in 1941 and they lived in Dayton, Ohio. She dedicated her time to raising her three children.

The family came to Babson Park in the late 1950s and they owned and operated Bob's Landing Marina and Mobile Park on Crooked Lake.

Mrs. Puterbaugh also worked as an administrator in the business office at Webber College during the 1960s and 1970s, when the school was a women's college.

Following their retirement in 1987, the couple moved to Crossville, Tenn., living in the mountains where Mrs. Puterbaugh enjoyed gardening and having her grandchildren visit. The couple enjoyed traveling.

Following the death of her husband in 1998, Mrs. Puterbaugh returned to the area, living in Winter Haven.

She was a member of the Brookville, Ohio, Church of the Brethren and the Babson Park Community Church, and she helped found the Cumberland View Baptist Church in Crossville.

In addition to her son, Robert E. Puterbaugh, she is survived by her children, Sharon Ann Lockwood, Winter Haven, and Connie Lee Osburn, Frostproof; sisters, Cleo Brackett, Lancaster, Ky., and Flo Matasoff, Dayton, Ohio; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Burial will be in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Stanford, Ky.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Babson Park Community Church, P.O. Box 35, Babson Park.

Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Frostproof, and Fox Funeral Home, Stanford, Ky.