September 26, 1925 - May 13, 2018
Letha Juliet Monk Bayes Obituary Letha Juliet Monk Bayes was born September 26, 1925 in Percival, IA. She was one of nine children. She shared the same birthday as her older sister, Betty, born two years prior. Her early years included going to school by boat when the Missouri River would flood their community. She was very involved in school activities. She played guard on the girls' basketball team and was very proud of her varsity letter. After graduating from school, she worked in Nebraska City, NE and Shenandoah, IA. While in Shenandoah, she worked at KFNF radio station. She had many stories of meeting country music stars who toured and sang live over the radio. One of her favorite stories was about helping the young Everly Brothers stand up on a chair so they could sing into the microphone with their father. Mr. Everly also asked her to shop for him for a birthday present for his wife. She wanted these new dishes called Pyrex. She met the love of her life, John Bayes, at a dance in Shenandoah. At the time of John's passing in 2000, they had been married 55 years. John and Letha lived many years on a farm in the Strahn, IA community. Letha was active in the Methodist Church, United Methodist Women and the garden club there. Her younger sister, Chlorine, came to live with John and Letha and spent several years with them. She was more like a daughter to them. Letha was very involved with Chlorine and her 4H projects, including helping to start the Busy Bees 4H Club. Letha had two children, Debra and John Randall. Once they were in school, she started college commuting daily to Clarinda Community College and later to Peru State College. She earned a teaching degree and taught junior high English and math. She later earned a Master's degree in Special Education and taught special education for the rest of her career. Once Letha retired, she and John moved to Nine Mile Falls, WA to be near their daughter, Debra, and their two grandchildren, Ian and Chelsea. She was an integral part of their lives and they loved her and Grandpa John very much. She volunteered at their school and attended their activities whenever she could. Her grandchildren especially remember her enjoying watching the nightly news. She loved to discuss current events and politics. She was a lifelong democrat and shared stories with them of attending state and local conventions in Iowa. Letha loved to look at cookbooks and to cook. Anyone who visited her house was always fed and encouraged to eat a little more. Letha attended Audubon Park United Methodist Church. She was active in the United Methodist Women and Elderberries. She loved and cherished her church family. Her family would like to thank her church community for all the love and support they gave Letha through the years. After John passed, Letha moved to the Shadle neighborhood in Spokane where she had many friends and neighbors who were also a great help and support to her. She passed away at Hospice House on May 13th, 2018 with her family with her. Her daughter and grandchildren are especially glad they had one last Mother's Day with her. The family would like to thank Debbie Allen for her loving care of Letha through the years and especially for her help during the past year. She has truly been a blessing in our lives. Letha is survived by her daughter, Debra (Mike) Clinton; son, John Randall; grandson, Ian Clinton; granddaughter, Chelsea (Patrick Folsom) Clinton; great-grandson, Benjamin Folsom; sister, Chlorine (Bill) Fitzwater and Carol Collins; brother, Frank Monk; and many nieces and nephews. A graveside service will be held at Fairmount Memorial Park at 9am on Friday, May 25th. Attendees are asked to meet at the cemetery office prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to United Methodist Women at Audubon Park United Methodist Church. � To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Letha, please visit our Tree Store. Read more Events MAY 13
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