Leo Rechtenback, 92, of Walnut, Iowa
Leo Glade Rechtenbach passed away in the early morning hours of January 22, 2025, at Jennie Edmondson Hospital in Council Bluffs, IA after a short illness.
Leo was born on August 15, 1932, in Jackson Township, Adair County, IA near Bridgewater.
He is survived by his daughter, Bobbie (Jim) McDermott, of Walnut, IA; sons, Marc Rechtenbach, of Shelby, IA and Eric Rechtenbach, of Walnut, IA; sisters Elma Schrader of Jefferson, IA and Norma Darling of Council Bluffs, IA; granddaughters Megan (Brian) Andersen of Omaha, NE, Nellie (Brian) Popp of Sioux Falls, SD, and Annabelle (Jonathan) Soppe of Platteville, WI; six great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law Susan Robison and Patsy (Bill) Mattas; nieces and nephews, and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife of fifty years, Jeanette; parents Daniel and Lucy Rechtenbach; son Scott Rechtenbach; brother Ronald and his wife, Rosie; brothers-in-law David Darling, Dallas Schrader, and Paul Robison.
He was a member of the Walnut Presbyterian Church.
He attended Adams County country school and graduated high school from Bridgewater High School in 1950. He was valedictorian of his graduating class of eight students. He had two other classmates named Leo and one other classmate named Rechtenbach.
After high school, he farmed and worked on bridge construction before entering the Army in 1953. He was on a ship heading to Germany when the conflict in Korea ended. He was trained in demolition and booby traps, and was a jeep driver for the officers on the base. He was discharged in 1955 after attaining the rank of Corporal. He was a member of The American Legion for over fifty years and was treasurer for the Walnut post for over twenty years.
After leaving the Army, he went back to work building bridges for over 50 more years. He worked for Hobe Engineering/ElkHorn Construction for nearly all that time building many of the bridges on I-80. While working in the Walnut area in 1966, they purchased the farm south of town.
After retiring, he and Jeanette ran a B&B for 7 years. They had several chickens that supplied the eggs. Through the years, they also raised horses and hogs. They also traveled on many trips including a trip to Germany in 1972, and bus trips to both coasts, and an Amtrak train to New England.
He enjoyed playing cards and he and Jeanette were in a pinochle club with five other couples for over 30 years. In recent years, he would play pitch at the Walnut Welcome Center on Tuesdays and Fridays with several of the other retired men in the area.
He had an inventive mind. When he was a young boy, he designed a working cash register, and devised a way to hook up a spark plug and wire to shut off the windmill pump when the stock tank was full.
He constructed a built-in bookshelf in the dining room the first year on the farm. He also made the cabinets for the town veterinarian’s office, and made many woodworking projects as gifts.
He took pride in the way the farm looked and received an award from The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Successful Farming magazine for how well the barn built in 1887 was maintained. He planted the windbreak trees the first year on the farm, and spent many hours mowing the yard during the summer. He joked that he wanted to win the town’s “Yard-of-the-Month.” Bobbie, Megan, and Nellie had their weddings in the garden.
He enjoyed watching the birds that would come to the feeders on the picnic table and watching old western movies and TV shows. His favorite non-cowboy show was The Andy Griffith Show, and he would laugh at Barney even though he had probably seen every episode hundreds of times.
He had several “Leo-isms.” If you saw something you wanted, he would say, “Save your nickels.” Sometimes he would answer the phone, “Kelly’s Pool Hall.” And if you asked him if he needed anything from the store (or wherever), he would say, “Bring me a nickel’s worth of five-dollar bills.”
Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 1st, 2025, at 12PM at the First Presbyterian Church in Walnut.
Family will greet friends from 10:30AM-12PM at the Church on Saturday, February 1st.
