Teletha Helen Pautler, 96, of Evansville, Illinois, passed away at 6:10 pm, Thursday, August 25, 2022 at Red Bud Regional Care, Red Bud, Illinois.
Teletha, the oldest of three daughters, was born to the late Albert B. and Helen C. (nee Moll) Skidmore on June 4, 1926 at Cragan Farm, west of Evansville, Illinois.
Her first grade year was spent at the Hapke School. Each day she walked to school with the children of Dietrich and Helen Liefer. When Teletha was seven, the family moved to their own farm, so the remainder of her grade school years were at St. Boniface Catholic School in Evansville. When she was in sixth grade, Teletha’s beautiful Palmer Method penmanship earned her a first place award in the United States. She graduated from the three-year Evansville High School in 1943 and transferred to Red Bud High School for her senior year (1943-44).
Teletha was an outstanding student, so she was awarded a scholarship to attend SIU Normal at Carbondale to major in education. She began classes in the summer of 1944. Due to the World War II teacher shortage, Teletha was hired to teach at the Baldwin Public School that fall. She taught the lower grades during the day and attended college classes in the area at night.
When school dismissed for the summer, Teletha and her dear friend, Florence Myerscough Laurent, would take a two-week bus trip before beginning summer classes at SIU. One of their most memorable trips was traveling to Florida and then cruising to Cuba.
Teletha taught at Baldwin from 1944-48. She then taught at the school in Ames for the 1948-49 school year.
Her teaching was paused when Teletha married the love of her life, Leland “Buck” Pautler on November 24, 1949 at St. Boniface Catholic Church, Evansville, Illinois.
During the years at the Pautler Farms, Teletha was known for her Angus roast beef dinners with all the trimmings finished off with a “made from scratch” angel food cake topped with seven-minute frosting and toasted coconut.
Her Buck preceded her in death on January 11, 1968.
After her husband’s passing, Teletha completed her college degree. She attended classes at Belleville Area College, St. Louis University and SIU Carbondale. Her special friends, Shirley Otten and Marie Wittenbrink, were her study buddies. She earned her degree in 1976 from SIU-Carbondale.
Her teaching career resumed at St. Boniface Catholic School, Evansville (1963-78) and then at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Red Bud (1978-1996). Over the years, Teletha taught her future son-in-law: David, her daughter: Judy, and her granddaughter: Elizabeth.
She touched so many lives in her teaching that spanned 38 years. With that sentiment, Teletha was honored as Evansville’s Citizen of the year in 2016.
Teletha was a life-long member of St. Boniface Catholic Church in Evansville and in 2012 was awarded for her Christian Service by the Catholic Diocese of Belleville. Other memberships included the Randolph County Retired Teachers Association and the Randolph County Farm Bureau.
Survivors:
1 Daughter:
Judy (David) Renner Evansville, IL
1 Granddaughter:
Elizabeth (Darren) Hess Ruma, IL
2 Great Granddaughter:
Helen Jewell Hess and Hazel Anne Hess
5 Nephews:
Bill (Anne) Ebers, Bernie (Arlene) Uffelmann, John (Janet) Pautler, Richard (Brenda) Pautler and Tom (Darlene) Pautler
12 Great Nieces and Nephews
13 Great Great Nieces and Nephews with two more arriving soon
Preceded in Death by: Parents, Husband, 2 Sisters – Alverna and Dolores Skidmore and 1 Grandson – Adam Renner, In-law – W.A. and Lena Pautler, Brothers-in-law and Sisters-in-law – Ethel (nee Pautler) and Vernoon Uffelmann, Linus and Ruby (nee Wahlman) Pautler and Cleo (nee Pautler) and Hilmer Ebers.
Teletha requested a private visitation and funeral mass at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Evansville with burial in the church cemetery.
Memorials may be donated in Teletha’s memory to St. John the Baptist Catholic School or St. Boniface Cemetery Fund and are being accepted at the funeral home.
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