Phyllis Ann Johnston Lerch

Phyllis Ann Johnston Lerch

Anamosa

Phyllis Ann Johnston Lerch, 89, of Anamosa, passed away peacefully Sept. 29, 2022, after complications resulting from COVID-19. Graveside Funeral Service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, at Norwich Cemetery, rural Martelle. Please visit goettschonline.com to share your thoughts, memories and condolences with her family.

Phyllis was born on April 14, 1933, and was raised by her adoptive parents Vivian and Ivan Johnston on their farm near Springville. She graduated from Springville High School and went on to get her teaching degree at the Iowa State Teaching College at Cedar Falls, Iowa. She married Darrell Lerch on June 27, 1952, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. The couple farmed for 37 years in Jones County and also owned and operated the Anamosa (Lerch) Airport for 27 years. In 1979, Phyllis served as Queen of the Flying Farmers while her husband was Airport Operator of the year for the State of Iowa. She was a member of the Martelle United Methodist Church, the Farm Bureau and the Anamosa Civil Air Patrol. Also she was a member of the International Flying Farmers for 25 years. She loved flying all over the state with her husband and she loved going to flight breakfasts every Sunday before Sunday School and Church. Some of Phyllis’s special memories are when Denise flew her and Darrell to Oshkosh, Wis., for the Experimental Aircraft Show in 1979 and her ride with Darrell in the hot air balloon was also a cherished memory. She enjoyed traveling so much with her family. Many funs trips included Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, Mackinac Island, Jesse James Cavern, Pictured Rocks, St. Louis Arch, to name a few and out to see the Spruce Goose. She enjoyed seeing Lynn’s graduation from Army and Navy boot camps at Fort Gordon, Ga., and Great Lakes, Ill., and was so proud of his service to our country for 20 years and retirement from the Navy with honors. One of her dearest memories just before Darrell’s passing in 1988, was a Bahamas Cruise arranged by her eldest son Mike, a mechanic with American Airlines, on which her and Darrell won a swing dance contest on-board and awarded a large bottle of champagne.

Darrell and Phyllis enjoyed many years on the farm raising their four children. Phyllis was always so busy cooking and baking and taking care of her family. She was a 4-H leader for many years and enjoyed the kids 4-H projects as much as they did and watching them compete at the Great Jones County Fair. Her great love was going to Sunday school and teaching young children the Word of God. She was a Sunday school teacher and superintendent for many years at the Martelle Methodist Church. Her other love was definitely her flowers and gardening. She always maintained beautiful flower beds for the visitors to the airport and fly-ins to enjoy and well as her famous coffee cake, which couldn’t be beat. She definitely had the gift of hospitality and welcomed many to their flight breakfasts and church card parties. She so enjoyed all the flight friends that came out to the airport lounge on weekends.

Another favorite thing she did was make may baskets for the nursing homes and shut-ins in Martelle and Anamosa. She loved crafts and shared a lot of her talents with the Anamosa Senior Citizens Center and her friends. She was quite the crocheter and made many things for people to enjoy. She was so grateful to have Patrice take care of her in her later years.

She leaves behind her four children, Mike Lerch and wife, Alice of Owasso, Okla., Denise (Lerch) Boots and husband, Greg of Kingfisher, Okla., Lynn Lerch and wife, Cathena of Anamosa, Iowa, and Patrice Lerch of Marion, Iowa; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her adoptive parents and husband.