Lewistown (Mt) News Argus - 1 May 2002

Jeanie Louise (Lefferts) Nixt, a 50 year resident of Rio Vista, Ca, died April 15, 2002, at home with her family around her after a couragous battle with colon cancer. She was 81 years old.

She was born Nov. 4 1920 in Lewistown, to Charles and Florence (Hopkins) Lefferts.

Her father was born at old Fort Maginnis, while his father, Oliver Lefferts, was serving in the army. Her grandmother, Ellen (Latray) Lefferts, and Oliver lived all of their married lives in and around Fergus County.

Her great grandfather, Mose Latray, with his wife Susan, were early pioneers of

Lewistown and Fergus County. He built the first Post Office in Lewistown, at what was then, Reed's Fort. Jeanie was raised on a ranch outside of Lewistown and attended a one-room school not far from the ranch. At times she would attend school in her own home. Her teacher boarded with Jeanie, her sister, Hope, and her parents. The winters were so severe in Montana that the teacher was unable to travel to the schoolhouse on several occasions so she would teach students

at the ranch. Jeanie was an accompished seamstress from an early age. When she was 6, she won first place in quilt making for 6 to 12 year olds.

She loved living on the ranch but when her father's health began to fail in 1929, the family moved into Lewistown, where her father died three years later. She graduated from Fergus High School in 1938.

After graduation, she, her sister and mother moved to Susanville, Ca. where she

started attending Lassen Junior College.

A short time later, she met and married her first husband, Everett Ellingwood, and traveled with him all over Nevada, Arizona and California during the war years while he worked in the construction of airfields and other war related projects.

Jeanie and Everett with their three children, Everene, David and Lois, moved to

Calistoga in 1944 and built a home there. In 1945, they divorced and she moved to

Vallejo with her children.

She went to work at Mare Island Navel Shipyard where she met her second husband, Cletus Nixt, a marine stationed at Mare Island. They had two daughters, Virgina and Leila, while in Vallejo. In 1952, they moved to Rio Vista and built a home on Flores Way.

Jeanie drafted the floor plans for their home and was active in the building process.

Drafting architectural plans was one of her favorite hobbies and when her children needed floor plans for their remodeling projects, she was always happy to help them.

Clete went to work for Herrick Tractor Company for a while, then opened his own welding shop on Ryer Island. Jeanie kept the books and ran parts for him. In 1957, a son, Jeffery, was born. Jeanie was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and always condsidered being a good homemaker as her greatest accomplishment. She was an avid reader and her home was always filled with books for her children and grandchildren.

She also enjoyed politics and had many lively discussions with family and friends. She loved children and after her own were grown, she was prompted to share her expertise in math and english as a volunteer aide to Norma Rosel at White School for several years.

Shortly before her death, she was proud to be an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indains of Montana.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, her husbands and her two sons, David R. Ellington and Jeffery N. Nixt.

In addition to her immediate family, she will be missed by many nieces, nephews, cousins, dear friends and her Aunt Jennie Lefferts of Lewistown.

She is survived by her daughters and sons in law, Everene McPherson of Rio Vista, Lois and John Baldetta of Bellingham, Wa., Virgina and Craig King of Rio Vista, and Leila and Victor Mazo of Rio Vista; her daughter in law, Jeannie A. Nixt of Bellingham; 18 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Graveside services were held Thursday April 18 at Rio Vista Masonic and Odd

Fellows Cemetery.

Memorials are suggested to Rio Vista Little League, P. O. Box 14, Rio Vista, Ca 94571