Cleta Catherine Pitts

Cleta Pitts, 89, of Oskaloosa, passed away early Sunday morning, February 28, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Cleta Catherine Langenfeld Pitts was born November 24, 1926 in Westphalia, Iowa to George and Anna Schmitz Langenfeld. She was a 1944 graduate of St. Boniface High School. After she had graduated, Cleta worked as a nanny and did housekeeping for families in the Westphalia area. She married Carl Pitts, April 18, 1950, and they began their life together on a rented farm near Defiance, Iowa. They lived on the farm six years before Carl took a job with Omar Baking Company in Carroll. In 1966, Carl began his career with the Schwann’s Ice Cream Company and they lived in Atlantic for a brief time before the company moved them to Oskaloosa. Cleta was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and a former member of St. Boniface Catholic Church in Westphalia, where she sang in the choir. Cleta was also a member of the Catholic Daughters of Ottumwa and a past member of the Westphalia 4-H Wide Awake Club. Cleta enjoyed crocheting, traveling the United States with Carl and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Cleta is survived by her husband, Carl Pitts of Oskaloosa; three sons: Tom and his wife, Sue Pitts, of Oskaloosa, Mike Pitts of Otley, and Paul and his wife, Julie Pitts, of Oskaloosa; a daughter, Cathy and her husband, Jim McGrew, of Oskaloosa; 16 grandchildren: Brandy Pitts, Shannon (Joe) Dote, Angela (Luke) Parson, Dawn (John) Borcher, Christy Jo (Shane) Utterback, Michelle (Jamie) Van Kooten, Lisa (Bob) West, Jamie (Jason) Chapman, Michael Lee Pitts Jr., Luke Pitts, Valerie (Josh) Strehle, Jesse (Nicole) Pitts, Jason (Hailey) Myers, Josh Myers, Jessica (Eric) Van Leuven, and Melissa Yennerrell; 43 great-grandchildren; a foster son, Sid Quintero of Oskaloosa and his two daughters: Leona Hanna and Amy Stone; and two sisters: Helen Seimer of Dow City, IA; Dee Coenen of Woodward, IA; a brother, Greg Langenfeld of Dunlap, Iowa and a sister-in-law, Mamie Pedrow of Kansas. In addition to her parents, Cleta was preceded in death by four brothers: Leo, Ray, Linus, and Edwin Langenfeld and four sisters: Lolly Gross, Irene Domino, Theresa Wageman and an infant sister, Althea Langenfeld; four sisters-in-law: Theresa, Marie, Josephine “Joie”, and Helen Langenfeld; and one great-grandchild, Zachary Van Kooten. Mass of the Christian Burial will be held Thursday, March 3, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oskaloosa with Fr. John Spiegel, Fr. Tom Spiegel and Msgr. Bob Spiegel concelebrating the service. Burial will be in the St. Mary’s Cemetery at Oskaloosa. Visitation will begin at the Garland-Van Arkel-Langkamp Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa, Wednesday after 11 a.m., and the family will be at the funeral chapel on Wednesday from 4 – 7 p.m. to greet friends and relatives. The Rosary will be prayed at 7:15 p.m. following the visitation. Memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Memories and condolences may be sent to the family by visiting the online guestbook at gvlfuneralchapel.com.

Cleta Catherine Pitts

February 28, 2016 - February 28, 2016