Lee Faris

Lee Faris, 79, of Mount Ayr died Nov. 26, 2015, at Clearview Home in Mount Ayr.

Funeral services were 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30, at United Baptist Presbyterian Church in Mount Ayr with the Rev. Mike Maddy and the Rev. Bill Armstrong officiating. A eulogy was given by Jim Werner and Masonic rites by Faith Lodge No. 179 and Dwayne Henrichs. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr. Memorials will go toward Ringgold County Soil and Water Conservation, Iowa Cattlemen's Foundation and Ringgold County 4-H. Watson-Armstrong Funeral Home, 205 W. Monroe St., in Mount Ayr was in charge of the arrangements and online condolences may be left at www.watsonarmstrongfh.com.

Lee, son of Wilbur and Eva Sawyer Faris, was born July 8, 1936, at home near Mount Ayr. Lee attended country school and graduated from Mount Ayr High School in 1954. During high school, he was active in 4-H and FFA, earned the National Farmers Degree in FFA and continued to be a member of the National FFA Alumni Association.

After high school, Lee moved to Colorado and on May 7, 1958, he married Martha Wilson in Grand Junction, Colorado. They moved back to Iowa and began farming. Lee sold feed door-to-door for Sweet Lassy Feed and Cooper Feeds, owned Iowa Feed and Grain, now the Farmer’s Co-op, in Mount Ayr from 1970 to 1976. He was a 4-H leader, served on the Ringgold County Fair Board, past master of Faith Lodge No. 179 and acted as rainbow dad to his daughters.

In 2003, Lee was named an Iowa master farmer by Wallaces Farmer magazine and in 2005, Lee was recognized with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association environmental land stewardship award. He received the 2012 commercial cattle producer of the year award from the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Beef Breeds council. Lee served as president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association in 1994 and as vice president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation Board in 2013. In 2001, Lee was inducted into the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Hall of Fame, was a member of the Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock committee, co-chaired the Iowa Grassland Alliance and served on the Iowa’s State Soil Conservation and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service State Technical Committees.

Lee is survived by his son Rodney (Elizabeth) Faris of Mount Ayr; daughters, Jacqueline (Russell) Stewart of Mount Ayr and Jennifer (Shawn) Byrd of Diagonal; grandchildren, Michael, Richard (Neva Nachtrieb) and Justin Faris, Megann, Trent and Hallee Stewart, and BrieAnn and Austin Byrd; great-grandson Tegan Stewart; siblings, James Allen (Katie) Faris of Lancaster, California, Louise Stamper of Mount Ayr, Lucille (Ronnie) Deemer of Davis City and Lyle (Betty) Faris of Mount Ayr; in-laws, Florence Randles of Cortez, Colorado, Mary Ellen McComb of Lewis, Colorado, and Elza (Peggy) of Grand Junction, Colorado; nieces and nephews and other extended family and friends.

Lee was preceded in death by his parents, Wilbur and Eva Faris; wife Martha; father- and mother-in-law, Edwin and Mildred Wilson; son John Roger and brothers-in-law, Doyle Stamper, Charles McComb, Walter Hill and Elbert Randles.