HOUTS

Floyd Elden Houts, age 91, of Celina, transitioned to eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ, on Sunday, June 12, 2022 at Briarwood Village in Coldwater, Ohio.

He was born on February 13, 1931, the seventh child to the late Fay & Esta (Now) Houts.

Growing up on a Center Township century farm, Elden loved all aspects of farm life working with his father and brothers experiencing the transition from horse power to tractors. The farm’s first tractor arrived when he was six—a John Deere 1937 Model A with a two-bottom plow. He excelled in school graduating in 1949 from Center Township High School in Neptune where he fell in love with his school sweetheart, Marjorie Lou Stephenson. They married in July of 1952 and three months later after brief duty at the Pentagon, Elden found himself deployed in the Army, specializing in cryptography in the Signal Corp, and assigned to Paris France for nearly two years.

Once home Elden settled into working for the Celina post office as a letter carrier while Marjorie worked at the Commercial Bank Company. Marjorie landed him a new job as a bank teller launching a career that subsequently led to him serving as President and Chairman of Citizens Commercial Bank/First Financial Bank—without a college degree but with much work and life experience and completion of the ABA Graduate School of Banking program.

He was honored to serve in many financial and community positions including: the Ohio 4-H Foundation Board, Mercer County Medical Foundation Board President, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Board Member, Ohio Bankers Association Group II President, Ohio Division of Banks Board, Celina Lions Club, Grand Lake Toastmasters, North Grove Cemetery Association and the Van Wert Area Youth for Christ Board.

All this while farming progressive acreage in Hopewell, Liberty and Center Townships weekends and evenings with the help of his sons-- raising grain and keeping livestock including in the earliest years milk cows, steers, horses, chickens, and an occasional pig. Farming surpassed and outlasted his interest in banking when he fully retired at age 70.

Marjorie transitioned to eternity in 2017 just shy of the couple’s sixty-fifth wedding anniversary. They are survived by three sons: Keith (Beth) Houts, Christopher (Vickie) Houts, and Mark Houts; ten grandchildren: Michael (Courtney)Houts, Bethany (Chad) Eckard, Emily (Rob) Meyers, Laura (Rick) Leeman, Brian (Melanie) Houts, Ethan (Rebecca) Houts, Erinn (Weston) Young, Olivia Houts, Seth (Tessa) Houts and Margaret Houts; twenty-three great-grandchildren: Cana, Elin, Abram, Gwenyth & Jeb Eckard; Evelyn, Roman, Josephine & Phoebe Meyers; Shepherd & Rachel Leeman; Elizabeth & Owen Poulton & Timothy Houts; Isaac, Elijah, Luke & Benjamin Houts; William Young; Jack & Henry Keener; Calvin & Garrett Houts plus many nieces & nephews as well as brother-in-law, Chester Stephenson and sister-in-law, Wilma Houts

Elden and Marjorie experienced the death of son, Timothy to childhood cancer in 1964 and the loss of infant granddaughter, Jillianne Elaine Houts in 1987.

Elden was preceded in death by brothers, John Houts, Dale Houts, Calvin Houts; sisters, Lucille Hamilton, Ruth Raudabaugh, and Velone Kable; brothers-in-law, Lyle Hamilton, Don Kable, and Don Raudabaugh; sisters-in-law, Helen Houts, Marjorie Brown Stephenson, and Ruth Houts-Turner.

Elden was a member of Fairview, Celina First, and Mt Tabor Churches of God and enjoyed nothing more than worship services on Sundays. In their early years Elden and Marjorie played piano and organ together for church and some weddings. He served in numerous church leadership capacities throughout his lifetime. His favorite Bible passages are Romans 8:37-39 and the twenty-third Psalm.

Elden’s inspiring life was characterized by diligence, loyalty, integrity, commitment, humble wisdom, stewardship, and perseverance. His trusting faith in Jesus Christ points to an eternal future where “the best is yet to come”!

His celebration of life visitation hours will be from 2 to 6pm on Friday June 17 at Cisco Funeral Home in Celina. Celebration of life funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday June 18 at Mt. Tabor Church of God with Rev. Richard VanHorn and Rev. Darwin Dunten officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.

Interment will follow at North Grove Cemetery in Celina.

Memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society and / or American Macular Degeneration Foundation.

Cisco Funeral Homes of Celina & St. Marys are honored to care for Elden and his family. To pay respects and to leave online condolences or memories, visit www.ciscofuneralhome.com or Cisco Funeral Home Facebook page.