Leo "Lee” Donald Buelt, Jr.

Leo “Lee” Donald Buelt, Jr., the son of Leo Frank and Leone Monica (Wittry) Buelt, was born May 11, 1954, at St. Anthony’s Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa and died June 15, 2021, in rural Adair, Iowa at the age of 67 years, 1 month and 4 days.

Lee was baptized and confirmed at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Breda, Iowa. He attended St. Bernard’s school, graduating with the High School Class of 1972. After graduation, Lee continued to live in Breda and was self-employed as a sheep shearer.

On July 29, 1978, he was united in marriage to Merrie Ann Flynn at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Breda. They were blessed with three children, Austin, Brandon and Carrie Ann. They lived in Wall Lake, Iowa. In 1981, they moved to Elk Horn, Iowa where they lived before making Exira, Iowa home in 1985. Lee continued to shear sheep until the time of his death.

Lee was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Exira and the Iowa Wool and Sheep Association. He was a member of the 309 Club in Atlantic and served as President of the board, as well as a general board member, for many years. Lee was an avid beer memorabilia collector and was very proud of the collection he had built over the years. He loved anything to do with baseball and you could always find him cheering on the Minnesota Twins. Lee was always a social person and never met a stranger.

Preceding him in death is his father, Leo Frank Buelt; his sister, Mary Jo and husband Robert Haller; his niece, Jennifer Haller; and his brother-in-law, Don Davis.

Survivors include his children: Austin Buelt and his significant other Amber Smith and her daughter Celeste Smith all of Ames, Iowa, Brandon Buelt of Manville, Wyoming and his daughter Emily-Jean of Colstrip, Montana, and Carrie Ann and husband Steven Hayward and children, Anastasia Muell, Lane Muell and Alexander Hayward all of Atlantic, Iowa; his mother, Leone Buelt of Carroll, Iowa; his sisters and brother: Kay Davis of Kent, Washington, Rosie and husband Rod Wiederin of Oro Valley, Arizona, and Bob and wife Joan Buelt of Breda, Iowa; his friend and former spouse, Merrie Ann and husband Rick Sloth of Elk Horn, Iowa; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, June 25, 2021, at 10:30 A.M. at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Exira, Iowa with Father David Nkrumah officiating. The family will greet friends on Thursday, June 24th from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Exira. Honorary casket bearers will be his grandchildren.

Lee’s Memorial Mass will be livestreamed on KESSLER FUNERAL HOMES INC. Facebook page. To get there, log into your Facebook account (you will need one to view the service), search for and navigate to the KESSLER FUNERAL HOMES INC. Facebook page, and at the time the service goes live, it will populate in the timeline. You may also scroll to the bottom of our homepage at www.kesslerfuneralhomes.com page and click the Facebook logo to be taken directly to our page. If you experience difficulties viewing the broadcast at the time of the service, the recording will remain on our Facebook page for additional viewing opportunities.