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A biographical sketch Leon pronounced his name "Lynn." At the time of Leon's birth, the birth record stated that his father, Ira Morgan Landrith, was aged 33 and his mother, Georgia Ann (Husband) Landrith, was age 29. The delivering physician was Dr. Liggett. Leon graduated from the Labette County, Kansas Public Schools, in Oswego, Kansas on 15 May 1908. Leon worked in a lumber camp (date unknown) in the state of Washington for a year, or perhaps a little more than a year. Leon married on 27 November 1916 to Rhuie Vitura McPherson. They married at Independence, Montgomery county, Kansas. Leon was appointed Postmaster General at Bartlett, Kansas on 17 May 1917. After only two years of marriage, Leon's wife Rhuie died 30 November 1918, a victim of the influenza epidemic that year. Their only child, Ira Clayton Landrith, was eleven months of age at the time of her death. Clayton was sent to live with Rhuie's brother Gerald McPherson and his wife Orpha (Nash) McPherson. Leon married second to Sadie (Beggerly) Clark on 16 November 1920. Sadie already had a son, Glen Clark, from a previous marriage. Leon and Sadie had no children together. Sometime after Leon's remarriage, perhaps in 1923 or 1924, Leon asked the McPhersons to let Clayton come back and live with him. The McPhersons consented, but Clayton was very unhappy because he did not get along well with either Sadie or his stepbrother Glen. After a short while Clayton asked Leon if he could return to live with Gerald and Orpha, where he remained until adulthood. Clayton always thought of Gerald and Orpha as his parents and called them mom and dad. He continued to visit Leon at holidays and during the summers, and he also called Leon "Dad." Glen Clark was sent to live with some of his mother's family after her death. Leon relocated (date unknown) to Parsons, Labette county, Kansas sometime before his third marriage. About 1927 or 1928, Leon married third to Eva Maude (Smith) Pargen, who had three children from a previous marriage. She and Leon raised Elmer, Marjorie, and Loren Pargen. Leon and Eva also had one daughter together, Wilma Jean Landrith. In 1936 Leon again moved, this time from Parsons, Kansas to Kansas City, Missouri. He lived in Kansas City for twenty-six years. In Kansas City Leon worked for the U. S. Postal Transportation Service (railway mail) on The Katy railroad line. For much of his working career Leon rode the train between Kansas City and Denison, Texas. He had a room in Denison where he would stay over one or two nights each week before returning to Kansas City. Leon retired as a Kansas City postal supervisor. In adulthood Leon Landrith stood about 5 foot 9 inches tall. According to Wilma Jean (Landrith) Beets, Leon's daughter, Leon was not a verbally expressive or communicative man. Almost everything that Wilma Jean learned about her father's past was learned through her mother, Eva Maude (Smith-Pargen) Landrith. Leon's gravestone was viewed by Donald D. and Peggy A. (Landrith) Nutt on November 15, 1995 in the Floral Hills Memorial Gardens cemetery, south Kansas City, Missouri. The grave is next to that of his third wife, Eva (Smith) Landrith. Landreth(ith) family genealogy database
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