Eleanor Crady Lepper of Cincinnati, OH passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at the age of 93. She is preceded in death by her husband, Howard Franklin Lepper and her daughter, Cathy Lepper Lamos Van Der Wiele. Eleanor was the beloved mother of Bonnie Lepper Green (Larry Penwell) and Dianne Lepper Holste (Rick); devoted Mammaw of Christian Green, Richard Lamos, Rachel Green, Colby Lamos, Kevin Chamberlin, and Danielle Holste; loving great-Mammaw of Nova Lamos and Liam Chamberlin; loving sister of Patricia Venneman and loving sister-in-law of Phyllis Linder. She is also survived by other family members, including nieces and nephews, and many friends.
Eleanor Louise Crady was born in Huntington, West Virginia, on April 25, 1923. She later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she started writing poetry in high school, and where she played drums in her father’s student orchestra. She met Howard Franklin Lepper in high school. They were married in 1943 while he was a pilot in the Army Air Corps during WWII. They later lived in Cincinnati, Ohio and in Northern New Jersey. Eleanor raised her three daughters, worked in real estate, wrote poetry, and was active in community theater, where she directed and acted for the Radburn Players of Fair Lawn, New Jersey. She starred in such productions as Blithe Spirit, as Madame Arcati, and A Delicate Balance, as Claire. She was active in The Unity Church/Center in New Jersey, and the New Thought Temple (now New Thought Unity Center) in Cincinnati. She had a lovely voice and sang at church and on stage. She and her husband “Lep” loved to travel, entertain, and listen to music. She later lived in Loveland, Ohio, where she enjoyed socializing with friends, listening to music, reading, and attending her poetry group. A collection of her poetry, Sunlight and Shadows, was published in 2010.
Friends and family will be received at Hodapp Funeral Home, 8815 Cincinnati Columbus Rd, Westchester Township, OH, 45069, on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 10:30AM, where a funeral service will follow at 12:00 noon. Interment at Arlington Cemetery will take place at a later date