Please pray for the Burrus family as they mourn, and may we allow ourselves to mourn along with them.
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Fifteen-year-old Leisha Burrus was out for a walk with her headphones on about a mile from her rural Pandora home Wednesday evening when her mother stopped to give her a glass of water. Not long after, Leisha darted across the road toward her friend's pickup and was struck and killed by an oncoming car. Ohio Highway Patrol troopers said she apparently didn't look before she crossed the road. They found her headphones and the broken glass at her side.
Trooper William Bowers said Leisha's friend was coming to pick her up when the accident occurred about 6:50 p.m.
"Her friend didn't know if she recognized her because she doesn't normally drive that vehicle, so she waved at her and [Leisha] came across the road," Trooper William Bowers said. "For whatever reason, she came across without looking."
Troopers said Leisha was walking east on Putnam Road, which is the Allen-Putnam County line, when she crossed Pandora Road and was struck by a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Brian R. Langhals, 35, of Leipsic, which was southbound on Pandora Road.
Trooper Bowers said he did not anticipate issuing any citations in connection with the crash, although it remained under investigation yesterday.
The accident occurred just down the road from Suter Produce, where Leisha, who was home-schooled, had been employed for the summer.
Tom Suter described her as a good worker who was full of energy.
"She was a ball of fire," Mr. Suter said. "She was just a great person overall. All the kids liked her. She was young but she was a leader on the wagon. She kind of ran that place."
The wagon, he said, is where sweet corn is piled after it is picked. Leisha and other young workers would put the corn in burlap bags and pile them up to load onto trucks for the company, which sells fresh produce at farm markets in Lima, Findlay, Ottawa, Kenton, Bluffton, Pandora, and Columbus.
"She was everything you could possibly hope for in somebody working for you," Mr. Suter said. "She was full of energy constantly. She'll be missed greatly."
The daughter of Rennie and Kathy Burrus, Leisha had two sisters, Caitlin and Brielle. She attended First Church of God at the Crossroads in Lima where she was a member of the youth group and worship team. She also was a member of the Lima Youth Orchestra, the Allen County Christian Homeschoolers, and the homeschool basketball team.
Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Chiles & Sons Laman Funeral Home in Bluffton. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Church of God at the Crossroads.
Contact Jennifer Feehan
at jfeehan@theblade.com
or 419-353-5972
Please pray for the Burrus family as they mourn, and may we allow ourselves to mourn along with them.
