Lela Poch

Lela Mae Poch, 96, a long time resident of Atlantic, Iowa, died Friday, November 25, at the Heritage House in Atlantic. Lela Mae was the youngest of nine children born to Charles W. and Isabelle Nordman McDermott May 23, 1909 in Wiota, IA. She graduated from Wiota High School in 1926 and enrolled in nurses training at the Atlantic hospital. Upon completion of that training, she finished her fourth year in Iowa City, IA, earning a degree in nursing. She married Louie Poch in Atlantic in September 1931. She was an active member of the First United Methodist Church women"s activities in Atlantic, as well as the Nurses Club in Atlantic.Surviving Lela Mae is a daughter, Ellen Jane Buckner of Murfreesboro, TN and a son, Gail and wife Nancy of Sudbury, MA; two grandsons Eric Poch and wife Mary Ann of Sudbury, MA and Kurt Poch of Philadelphia, PA; three great granddaughters, Geneva, Amelia, and Lorelei Poch of Sudbury, MA; nephews, Harold Poch and wife Eileen of Atlantic and Bruce Jensen and wife Glenda of Moulton, IA; nieces, Rose Petersen and husband Richard of Avoca, IA, Shirley Jensen of Exira and Isabell Waltz and husband Louis of Stuart, IA and their children. Also, great nephew, Rick McDermott and wife Melinda and daughters Cammy and Leslie and great nephew Jerry McDermott and wife DeVonne, all of Atlantic; Lela Mae is preceded in death by her husband, Louie Poch; brothers, Ralph "Pete" and Fred McDermott; sisters, Pluma Bell, Zita Bell, Alma Jordan, Stella Burkhardt and Lucille Kloppenburg and nephews, Fredric and Tom McDermott.Brother Ralph did extensive research into the McDermott background and found that their great, great, great, great grandfather James McDermott at the age of about sixteen enlisted in the rag-tag army and fought in the Revolutionary War with General George Washington at the battles of Trenton and Monmouth, N.J. He was born around 1777 in North Hampton, PA, about three miles from what now is Pittsburg and after the war, stayed in Pennsylvania for about 18 years. Congress had passed an order of "benefits" for soldiers June 7, 1832 that allowed veterans to obtain land in Ohio, providing they could prove they fought in the War. The "interrogations" in James' own words are very interesting. At any rate, he was granted land in Mifflin Township, Richmond County in Ohio and moved his family there. He applied for 320 acres of land on October 24, 1814 and re-applied for the land under the "Bounty Land Claim in 1855". He lived in a log cabin on the property until the age of 100. His grave stone is in the ML Koogle farm cemetery. The house built by the son, Mark, is still there with his name chiseled on a rafter. It is now an antique house.Funeral InformationServices for Lela Mae will be held Friday, December 2, 2005 at the Roland Funeral Home at 10:30 AM with Pastor Gary DeGeest officiating. Burial will be in the Atlantic Cemetery. There is no set visitation.