Loretta M. Jacob Nitch 1953-2024

Loretta was born Dec. 2, 1953, in Ashtabula. She attended and graduated from Jefferson Area High School. In her late 30s, she attended Kent State Ashtabula Branch, where she earned her associate degree in the science of nursing. She then went on to Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. She was a certified as a family nurse practitioner.

Loretta married Dan Eckart in 1971 and they had three sons, Michael (Julie) Eckart, Nicholas Eckart and Samual Eckart. They were divorced in 1983. She then married Gus Jacob in 1984; they divorced in 1991. She had a daughter, Jo Ellen (Neal) Jacob Wright. She married Dr. William Nitch in 2012.

She was a devoted grandmother to Robert (Malissa) Eckart, Jonathan Eckart, Ryan Eckart and Rayne Eckart. She was thrilled with her twin great-granddaughters, Sydney and Paisley Eckart.

Mrs. Nitch was fortunate enough to meet her third husband in 2009, Dr. William Nitch. He and Loretta were together for 15 years until his death. They enjoyed being together in retirement and enjoying the closeness of their separate families. They lived seven months out of the year in their condo at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club, and five months in their condo in Boardman. Loretta was content to enjoy reading and playing cards with friends.

Mrs. Nitch held many jobs in her lifetime. She was a homemaker, cake decorator, furniture upholsterer, waitress, short order cook, restaurant manager and delivery van driver, to name a few. She began her career in medicine as an RN at Lake East Hospital, then went on as a nurse practitioner in private practice, nursing homes and finally retiring from Hospice of the Valley in 2020. She began her teaching career at Kent State University in 1999, where she taught nursing clinicals for Kent State Ashtabula for 20 years.

She attended Western Reserve United Methodist Church in Canfield and Grace Community Church in Wesley Chapel, Florida.

She was preceded in death by her husband, two brothers and her parents.

Calling hours will be 10 a.m. Friday May 10, 2024, at St. Joseph Calasanctius Church, 32 E. Jefferson St., Jefferson, with a Mass to follow at noon.

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