WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Linus Burton “Lenny” Losh, passed away peacefully in his sleep Sept. 3, at the age of 100, with his daughter by his side.
He was born in Lakewood, Ohio, on March 12, 1925, to the late John and Cecilia Losh.
Lenny was a true American classic with an indomitable will, an exacting intelligence and a disarming smile. He was a WWII veteran, whose unit, the 97th Infantry Battalion, liberated the Flossenburg concentration camp in Bavaria and was a leading element in General Patton’s 3rd Army. His battalion met the Russian troops near the Czechoslovakian town of Cheb at the European war’s end, and later, his battalion was then assigned the occupation of Japan.
Lenny loved learning and was the first in his family to attend college. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and a master’s degree in economics from the Ohio State University. He was a pioneer in American agricultural conservation policy. He spent a significant part of his career in Washington as the chief economist in the Soil Conservation Service and as a legislative aide to Sen. Mike Oxley for agricultural policy.
During his tenure in Washington, he helped develop the Resource Conservation Act and led the creation of the National Resource Inventory, which remains the Federal Government’s principal source of information for soil, water and related resources on non-federal lands in the U.S.
He also procured major funding for conservation efforts in the Scioto River and the Darby Creek watersheds, as well as others, such as the Celeryville Project in Ohio.
Well into his 90s, Lenny continued to be consulted on conservation matters by engineers, conservationists, farmers and other conservation and agricultural professionals. He was inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Council’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
Lenny was a devout Catholic and a staunch supporter of the Ohio State football team.
He was married to the late Jeanette Hippler Losh for 63 years. He is survived by his two children, Lynnette (Lynn) Losh-Eisentrout (Richard Hoechstetter), Clifford Losh (Chakameh Habibi); his two grandchildren, Sarah (Steve) Caudill and Claire (Dustin) Krebs; and his seven great-grandchildren, Jakob Caudill, Emaleigh Caudill, Lilah Krebs, Owen Caudill, Cameron Caudill, Bennett Krebs and Carter Krebs. He was predeceased by his great-granddaughter Madelynn Caudill.
He will be missed immensely.
Visitation was Sept. 11 at Hill Funeral Home, 220 S. State St. in Westerville. A Mass of Christian Burialn was held Sept. 12 at Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 313 State St. in Westerville. Father Wilson was presiding. Lenny was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.
The family wishes to thank Wesley Woods of New Albany, the Gables of Westerville and Riverside Methodist Hospital for the extraordinary care of Lenny.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests any contributions to be made to the Sisters Carmelite of the Holy Family, the St. Vincent DePaul Society and to St. Paul Catholic Church.
May Linus rest in eternal peace.
