LEXINGTON: Donald Eugene Sautter of Lexington passed away Friday morning January 23, 2015. He was 87.
Born in Cardington January 21, 1928 to parents Walter and Lulu (Burggraf) Sautter, Don attended first and second grades in a one-room schoolhouse (Whitehall) and was graduated from Chesterville High School in 1945.
An army veteran, Don served in the Philippine Islands. He managed the Postal Exchange (PX) station from 1946 to 1947 in Manila, earning $96 a month in the Army.
He returned from the service and married Eloise Shipman on June 12, 1948, and they moved from Mt. Gilead to Lexington in 1954.
Don retired in 1990 from Therm-O-Disc in Mansfield as a Senior Supervisor. He previously worked as a foreman with Stevens Manufacturing in Lexington and later Essex Wire Company for 19 years and served as president of the Stevens Credit Union.
Don was a member and trustee of Lexington Congregational Church.
An avid golfer, fisherman and hunter, Don enjoyed camping and vacations with his family. He liked boating and water skiing, and spent 18 winters with Eloise in Myrtle Beach, SC. Their travels included visits to Alaska, England, Branson, Caribbean cruises, Washington, D.C. and the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
He enjoyed watching many sports: Ohio State, Lexington High School and the Cleveland Indians.
A wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great grandfather, Don is survived by his wife of 66 years Eloise; their children Bill & Sharon Sautter, Jack Sautter and Sue & Rod Durbin; grandchildren Melanie, Chad, Nathan, Barry, Trisha, Amber and Lynn; 17 great grandchildren; two great great grandchildren; sisters and brothers-in-law Betty & Bob Chapman, Avalene Barrick and Barbara & Tom Detwiler; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother Richard Sautter; a grandson Brian Eugene Sautter and a brother-in-law Gilbert Barrick.
The Sautter family will receive friends Tuesday, January 27, 2015 from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home, where his funeral service will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. Friends may also call on the family Wednesday from 10 a.m. until time of the funeral service. Pastor David Smith will officiate. Burial with military honors will follow in Bryn Zion Cemetery near Mount Gilead.
In lieu of flowers contributions in his memory to Lexington First Congregational Church may be made at the funeral home.
Snyder Funeral Homes is honored to serve the Sautter family and encourages messages of sympathy and support be made to them online at: SnyderFuneralHomes.com
