This is the fifth of seven profiles of the 2019 honorees of the Outstanding Women of Clinton County Class of 2019.
For her “selfless acts of service and her commitment to helping others” Lynn Deatherage has been nominated to the Outstanding Women of Clinton County Class of 2019.
Her nominator points to Deatherage’s involvement in the Clinton-Massie School Board, Parent Teacher Organization, 4-H and church as evidence of her “dedication to the foundation of our community.”
Valedictorian of the Clinton-Massie High School Class of 1983 , Deatherage earned her B.S. in Ag Economics and minor in Accounting from The Ohio State University in 1987. She is comptroller of Settlemyre Seed Company and treasurer of Settlemyre Seed Industry.
Deatherage served on the Clinton-Massie School Board for 12 years. During her tenure, the board oversaw the construction of a new high school and new elementary building and the renovation of the middle school. She served as board president, vice president and on numerous committee.
Her service to the school community has continued beyond her board service. She was an active member of the Clinton-Massie PTO and was a force in securing the funding, materials and labor for the construction of an elementary playground. She coached both high school girls tennis (five years) and boys tennis (one year) with two recent graduates earning college tennis scholarships.
Deatherage also invests her time to helping individual students as a tutor in math and chemistry. She mentors students as they prepare for college and writes countless letters of recommendation for college admissions and scholarships. She and her family hosted an exchange student from Germany.
Putting her skill as a seamstress to work, she alters many a homecoming, prom and wedding dress for students and neighbors. She has spent hours altering band uniforms and sewing curtains for classrooms.
Deatherage’s mother, Pat Settlemyre, had a degree in Home Economics and served as a 4-H advisor, teaching her the daughter the finer points of sewing.
Continuing in her mother’s footsteps, she shares her skills as a seamstress beyond the school community. Deatherage is in her 19th year as 4-H advisor for CC Cookie Cutters 4-H Club where she shares her love of sewing by spending countless hours teaching sewing skills to club members.
In the larger Clinton County 4-H community, she has served 10 years on the Family and Consumer Science Committee including chair in 2017. Deatherage serves on 4-H Camp Staff as Craft Coordinator and also serves on the Camp Counselor Selection Committee.
At the state level she took on the leadership role of a State Master Clothing Educator 2014-2016. She also serves as a judge for 4-H Sew-Off competitions in other Ohio counties.
Deatherage is an active member of the Wilmington Church of Christ through committing her time to Vacation Bible School, 4th/5th grade instruction, the College Ministry Team, the Choir, the Toddler Room, the Singing Christmas Tree and organizing Christmas caroling.
In describing Deatherage, a former administrator from Clinton-Massie stated, “She was a terrific supporter of Clinton Massie and the teachers in making a difference in the lives of kids at CM. She has a fun spirit and a can-do attitude.”
Her nominator summoned up Deatherage’s impact on our community as reaching beyond her work to the lives she has touched: “Her legacy will carry on for generations through the positive impact she has had on others.”
Tickets for the 2019 Outstanding Women of Clinton County luncheon — set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 2 — are $25 (cash or check accepted, payable to “OWCC”). Reservations can be made at the Wilmington News Journal, 761 S. Nelson Ave., Wilmington, OH 45177. The News Journal’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If you have any questions, please call 937-382-2574. Reservations will be accepted through Thursday, Feb. 28.
The event is sponsored by the Wilmington News Journal, with generous support from Clinton Memorial Hospital, Peoples Bank, Abbott Image Solutions, Wilmington Savings Bank and Wilmington College.
