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 Louis Lash, son of Herman Dominic Lash and Mary Anna Lemper Lash.Born 05 Dec 1921 Avilla, IN, died 03 May 2016 Avilla, IN, age 94 years. Occupation: Dairy Farmer The Lash Family picture is, back row l to r: Phyllis, Harold, Albert, Evelyn, Teresa. Front row l to r: Joan, Louis (my grandfather), Mary (Lemper) Lash, Mary Jean (in very front), Ruth (behind Mary Jean), Herman Lash, John. Testified before congress in 1990 re: farm bill https://books.google.com/books?id=Fx1DAQAAMAAJ&dq https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kpcnews/name/louis-lash-obituary?pid=180148759 He was president for 30 years of the Noble County Farm Bureau, the single most powerful political organization in the county in the late 1960s through the 1980s. He fought against school consolidation, and yet his wife was elected to the East Noble School Corp. Board of Trustees. Two schools, including the high school that she opposed, have her name on them. Louis Edward Lash, 94, of Avilla passed away on May 3, 2016. He was a lifetime farmer and Noble County resident, a former county commissioner and an outspoken supporter of agriculture and the local farming community. Mr. Lash was born Dec. 5, 1921, in Noble County to Herman and Mary (Lemper) Lash. On June 11, 1943, in Avilla, he married Betty C. Brown. She survives in Avilla. He worked at Warner Gear and Betty worked at Flint & Walling, saving their money to purchase a farm. In March 1944, they bought an 80-acre farm just east of Avilla. "Mom told me the first year they lived on the farm they were so poor they survived largely on the apple orchard from an abandoned orchard on a neighbor's farm," said son Dan Lash. After World War II, Mr. Lash farmed with a team of horses and a Willys Jeep because farm tractors were scarce. The Lash farm did not have electricity until the early 1950s. All the electricity for the farm was provided by a 48-volt DC Delco plant that pumped water and lit the lights, according son Dan. Mr. Lash and his wife worked long hours and coped with challenges to turn the farm into a successful livestock operation. "When I listen to my older sisters talking about life on the farm, I hear all the stories of being poor," Dan said. "When I remember life on the farm, I recall parents who were well to do and I thought very successful." A wave of school consolidation rolled across Indiana in the early 1960s, and Mr. Lash and Betty actively opposed the East Noble consolidation and the loss of Avilla High School. They lost the battle, but Mr. Lash successfully campaigned to get his wife elected to the East Noble school board. "One longtime Noble County political figure described my dad as a kingmaker in the county," Dan said. "Anyone who wanted to win the farmers' vote in Noble County had to go through my dad." Every election cycle he strived to get those he supported elected into public office. He became a well-known political activist, and was elected to the Noble County Board of Commissioners in 1980. He made a lot of friends and a lot on enemies at the time. "My dad used to say when you push the hogs away from the fiscal county feeding trough, they start squealing," Dan said. Former Indiana congressman Mark Souder remembers Mr. Lash very well. "Louie Lash was a feisty farmer and political activist for many years. He never failed for opinions or expressing them. Underneath it all, he was a really decent man. He didn't always agree with me, and never hesitated to tell me, but we always were friends." Mr. Lash demonstrated his mechanical skills on the farm. He built two farm wagons with removable fronts for bailing hay and a back that could be opened for dumping corn, and a power-driven false front that was used for unloading corn and silage into a conveyor. He placed guardrails in each pig stall to prevent the sows from killing piglets by laying on them and suffocating them. The Lash farm averaged more piglet survivors than most other farms. Mr. Lash received numerous conservation farming awards for utilizing methods to prevent soil erosion and herbicides from getting to creeks and rivers. "My dad was a very economically responsible farmer," Dan said. He attended bankruptcy auctions and purchased farm implements for much less cost than new equipment. "He stayed out of debt, when borrowing money costs 12 percent interest," Dan said. Mr. Lash was never too busy to spend time with his children and build something for them, like a crystal radio set, a telegraph and a basketball hoop. Dan could not recall a time when his dad said a disparaging word to him about his wife, Betty. "He always told me to marry a good woman like your mother." Mr. Lash and Betty were married for nearly 73 years. Surviving, in addition to his wife, are two sisters, three daughters, two sons, 16 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Mr. Lash was buried in Christian Union Cemetery, Garrett. Married 11 Jun 1943, age 21 years (married 72 years) to:  Betty Brown Lash, age by marriage 18 years, daughter of Bernard Brown and Margaret Houlette Brown.Born 25 Feb 1925 Auburn, IN, died 29 Nov 2017 Avilla, IN, age 92 years BETTY C. LASH, 92, of Avilla, died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, at her home. Born Feb. 25, 1925 in Auburn, she was a daughter of Bernard and Marguerite (Houlette) Brown. Surviving are three daughters, Carolyn Rudek of Benton, Ark., Nancy (Mike) Caywood of Huntertown, and Jennifer (Bill) Lewis of Lansing, Mich.; two sons, Daniel (Cindy) Lash of Rome City and Bernard Lash of Avilla; 16 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Louis E. Lash, and sister, Peggy Treesh. Funeral service is 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017 at Young Family Funeral Home, Kendallville Chapel, 222 South State Street, Kendallville, with calling one hour prior to service. Calling also from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, 2017 at the funeral home. Burial will be in Christian Union Cemetery, Garrett. Child: | |||