Leota Mercedes Cravatta

Leota Mercedes (Noel) Cravatta, age 86, of Mt. Carroll, Illinois died Friday, January 27, 2012 at FHN Hospital, Freeport, Illinois. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 4, 2012 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Savanna, Illinois with Father Dennis Atto as Celebrant. Burial will be in St. John's Catholic Cemetery, Savanna. Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 3, 2012 at the Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home, Mt. Carroll. Illinois.
Leota was born April 13, 1925 the daughter of Charles G. and Mary E. (Parks) Noel in Olive Branch, Illinois. She was raised by a lady she called Grandma Maxwell whom took her in and raised her as if she was her own. Leota loved this woman dearly.
Leota met Joseph Theodore Cravatta at the Jacksonville School for the Deaf while in high school and went on to marry him in Springfield, IL on September 20th, 1944. Shortly after their wedding they moved to Savanna and started their family. Joseph and Leota had 8 children Patty, Brenda, Nancy, Jon, Joe Jr., Tom, Charlene and Peggy. From some of those children they gave her 19 grand children and 2 great grand children. After high school Leota earned her Beauty Salon Certificate and also worked for Eaton Controls Division, Savanna which is now the location of Swiss Colony in Savanna. In the early 1980's she retired from Eaton after they closed the plant down.