Elza Lee McClenathan, 78, of Keokuk and formerly of Brooklyn, died on March 19, 2021, at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois. Funeral services are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Friday, March 26th, at the Smith Funeral Home in Victor with Pastor Steve English, First Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant, officiating. Pallbearers will be Mike, Matt and Jerry McClenathan, and Gene Hawkins. Honorary bearers Melvin McClenathan and Steve Crow. Burial will be in the Victor Memorial Cemetery. Visitation with the McClenathan family present will be held one hour prior to the funeral service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be designated to KNWS, a Contemporary Christian radio station in Waterloo, 4880 Texas Street, Waterloo, Iowa 50702 or Midwest Old Threshers, 405 East Thresher Road, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa 52641. Elza was born on August 17, 1942, on the family farm near Brooklyn, the son of Harry Blair and Esther Laura Leitzman McClenathan. He was raised on the farm and was a 1960 graduate of Brooklyn High School. He attended Iowa State University, where he studied engineering for a few years, and then returned home to help his dad run a successful farm operation. On August 11, 1966, he was united in marriage to Carol Ruth Miller, in Woodbine, and the couple continuing farming together near Brooklyn. They were later divorced. Elza was a member of the Grace United Methodist Church, the Farm Bureau, and other agricultural groups. He enjoyed all things relating to farming, including designing farm equipment for his own use. He held a keen interest in engineering, science, physics and math. Elza held a strong faith in God. Elza is survived by his daughter, Mary (Marc) Gartin of Mt. Pleasant; one brother, Melvin (Phyllis) McClenathan of Brooklyn; and one sister, Sylvia Hawkins of Marengo. He was proceeded in death by his parents and two brothers, Leonard and George McClenathan.