Dixie Letsch, who owned and operated Letsch Advertising alongside her husband, Bud Letsch, passed away on Wednesday, October 23. Dixie was 82.
Letsch Advertising operated out of Springfield, Missouri, where Dixie attended Central High School and lived much of her life. The couple built the distributorship into a powerful presence in their region. Larry Timberlake, who spent 49 years with Gill Studios – PPAI 100’s No. 26 supplier – which operated out of neighboring state Kansas, told PPAI Media that Letsch Advertising was always a “great customer” of Gill Studios and that he has remained friends with Dixie and Bud over the years.
- In 2003, with retirement on their minds, Bud and Dixie sold Letsch Advertising to regional competitor Jim Barber Advertising. After the merger, the two companies operated under the Letsch Advertising name with Bud and Dixie staying on for 13 weeks of transition.
- Letsch Advertising’s portfolio of clients was so strong at the time of the sale that the new owners gained $4 million in annual revenue from several hundred clients.
‘Loved Life’
After the sale of Letsch Advertising and Bud and Dixie’s subsequent retirement, the couple moved from Missouri to Tucson, Arizona. An obituary states that Dixie “loved life and her many friends.”
In early 2017, Dixie suffered a fall at her home and became a quadriplegic. Since then, she spent much of her time in a care center in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- She is survived by Bud as well as her daughter, Tara; her sister, Pat; and her brother, Gene.
Her final resting place will be in her family plot at Eastlawn Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri.
