Earl Hayton Leon

Earl Jennings Hayton, 86, died March 24, 2015.

Funeral services were 10 a.m. Saturday, March 28, at Slade-O’Donnell Funeral Home in Leon. Elder Tony Crandell officiated. Burial will be in Hamilton Cemetery, Pleasanton, Iowa, at a later date.

Earl Jennings Hayton was born Dec. 2, 1928, in Independence, Mo.

At the age of 8, Earl was baptized into the RLDS/Community of Christ Church.

On July 1, 1955, Earl married Elvalena Blakesley.

Earl was a retired mechanic and carpenter. He a drove school bus for the Central Decatur School District for many years.

Earl was a Korean War veteran, and served six years in the United States Navy as a SEA BEE, where he honed his mechanical and carpentry skills.

Earl is survived by his children, Laura, Gary, Thomas and Dianna; expanded family, Greg and Nancy Clark and Charlene; grandchildren, David, Joshua, Dustin, Erin, Joel, Eric, Robert, Jenni, Nate, Josh, Autumn, Janelle and Ami, and their spouses; great-grandchidlren; in-laws, Bud and Rosalie and Jan Blakesley and their families; and, from a previous marriage, Penny, Candi and their families.

Earl was preceded in death by his son Gary; parents; sister Doris Lake; brother-in-law Mitch Blakesley; along with many other family and friends.