Earl Batt

Mr. Earl Batt, 95, of Salem passed away peacefully Monday, November 12 at his home, where he was born April 1, 1923 to Jakey and Audra Standish Batt.  Earl grasped the hard work it took to be a farmer at the early age of 18, when his father passed away, which left him to take care for the farm and his mother.

Earl loved the farm life, he loved to see his family take part on the farm, whether putting up hay, tending to the cattle, getting in the crops or just coming out to be on the farm for the day.  Even in later years of life, when he couldn’t get up on the tractor to check on the cattle or maybe just to get the mail, that didn’t stop him, he bought a side by side mule that allowed him to keep check on everything on the farm, and to make sure things were being done the way he would do it.  Even when the weather wouldn’t cooperate, that wouldn’t stop Earl from farming, he could farm right from his chair reading his Farm World, Prairie Farmer, or Progressive Farmer.

But Earl could not have made a living at farming without the help of his wife of 65 years, Lucille Lewis Batt, whom he married on February 3, 1946.  From this union came five children, sons:  Alva Joe (Colleen), Ralph (Rene), Glen, Leslie (Debbie) and daughter:  Shirley, 13 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Earl was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters:  Mable Gray and Mildred Dillard, his wife:  Lucille and a son:  Glen Batt.

Earl was a lifelong farmer, a Deacon and Elder of High Street Church of Christ, a former 4-H leader and Washington County Fair Board Beef Superintendent.

Funeral services will be held Thursday at 11:00AM at Weathers Funeral Home.  Burial will follow in Crown Hill Cemetery.  Visitation will be Wednesday from 3-8PM and Thursday from 9AM-time of service.

Ecclesiastes   Chapter 13, verses 1-8, 22

Expressions of sympathy may be made to:  High Street Church of Christ, 303 N. High St. Salem, Indiana  47167 or American Cancer Society.