Rex Late Eutsler

Rex Late Eutsler (1921 – 2016) Obituary Rex Late Eutsler, 95, of Bartlesville, passed away on Friday evening, April 1, 2016 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2016, at First Church on Price Road at 12 noon with a lunch served before the services at 11 am and graveside services following at 1 pm. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Stumpff Funeral Home & Crematory. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in his name. Rex was born on March 18, 1921 in Tyro Kansas to Ralph and Laura Mabel (Late) Eutsler. He grew up near Wann, Ok. In 1934, when he was 13, he witnessed the test of Willie Post’s high altitude pressure suits at Bartlesville Airport. The flight reached an altitude of 50,000 feet and remains a record for single engine aircraft. Rex, his father and brother had a chance to discuss the flight and suit with Mr. Post after the flight. He graduated from Copan High School in 1939, and, in 1942, after taking a few courses in business school, he moved to Van Nuys, CA, with his brother, Ralph Eutsler Jr. He was drafted into the Army and married Lelia Charlotte Grindle on August 29, 1943 in Mineral Wells, Texas. He was stationed in Florida and trained other soldiers until the fall of 1944 when he was shipped to Europe on the Queen Mary. He was in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded two Bronze Stars. After the war, he took advantage of the GI Bill and received a BA in Accounting from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. He and Lelia returned to Bartlesville, where he worked for Phillips 66 for 40 years. Rex was very active in the Methodist Church, community services, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and various Masonic orders. He served as Worshipful Master of Bartlesville Lodge 284. He was very active in the Yorkrite bodies, including Scottish Rite, Shriners, and Grotto. In 1993 -1994, he served as Grand Commander of the Templar Knights of Oklahoma. In addition to the men’s orders, Rex was an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Bartlesville Chapter #142, serving as Worth Patron for many years. He is survived by one daughter, Karen Lynch of Bartlesville, a grandson, Shawn Lynch of Bartlesville, two granddaughters, Brandy Reese of Copan, and Amber Ledbetter of Oolagah, five great grandchildren, Destiny, Caitlyn and Hunter Reese, Jaxon Burchette and Camden i8nu=Ledbetter, a sister-in-law, Mary Louise Batman of Pierce, CO, and numerous nieces and nephews in Colorado and Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lelia, one daughter, Kathy Joanne Fifer, one grandson, Timothy Michael Lynch, his father, Ralph Eutsler and mother, Laura Mabel Late Eutsler, and his two brothers and sisters. Rex was a beloved member of the Bartlesville community and will be greatly missed.

Rex Late Eutsler

March 18, 1921 - April 1, 2016