Elaine Lehr Of West Chester Was 'Grammy' To 14, Full Of Joy

WEST CHESTER, PA — Elaine (Woodyard) Lehr, 87, of West Chester, passed away at home on April 12, 2021, surrounded by her family. Born on Feb. 8, 1934 in Grafton, WV, she was the daughter of Clair T. and Lula M. (Phillips) Woodyard.

Elaine was the fifth of nine children, growing up on a farm where she learned the value of hard work.

She was a 1951 graduate of Grafton High School. A lover of history, she traveled alone by train at the age of 20 to the big city of Philadelphia, in 1954 without a job or a place to live with only the twenty dollars her father gave her. She soon found a job as a bookkeeper at Westinghouse and lived at the YWCA. She also attended Temple University for a short time.

It was in Philadelphia where she met her husband, Harry J. Lehr in June of 1957. Elaine, who was a baseball fan was with a group of people listening to the Phillies game on the radio when Harry inquired about the score. Elaine not only gave the score but went into great detail about the game. Harry was so impressed with her knowledge of the game that he thought to himself “marry me!”

After their initial meeting, they married a year and a day later on June 22, 1958. They began their married life in Drexel Hill, PA, followed by the purchase of their first home in Malvern. In 1967, they moved to their final home in West Chester where they raised four children — three sons and a daughter.

Survivors include her husband of almost 63 years, Harry; oldest son Brian (wife Teresa and her daughter Tara Fremont), their children Justin and Katrina; her second-born son, Eric (wife Tracy) and their children, Makenzie, Tanner, and Owen; her third-born son, Scott (wife Victoria) and their children Arianna, Xiomara, Wyatt, Carys and Nash; and finally her youngest and only daughter, Jennifer Ganley (husband Peter) and their children Evan (wife Corinne), Alissa (husband Ryan Herman), Collin and Malia.

She is also survived by one great-grandson, Brayden Herman, with two more expected this year. In addition, she’s survived by siblings, David Woodyard, Donna Isner, Janice Stemple, Carol Stockett, and Suzy Mitchell along with numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by siblings Nancy O’Connor, James Woodyard, Jane Stephenson, and great-grandson Aiden Ganley who passed away shortly after birth in 2019.

In June 2020, she became one of six siblings along with their spouses to be recognized in the Guinness World Records as having the most siblings from the same parents to celebrate 60 years of marriage, known as the Diamond Anniversary.

A Christian by faith, she was a member of Christ Community Church in West Chester.
Her greatest joy in life was being a mother and grandmother. Whether it was being a homeroom parent, baking for a fundraiser, or running her children to various activities, she always did so with a joyful heart. To her grandchildren, she was known as Grammy and they loved her dearly. She will leave a legacy of love to pass down for generations to come. Her family takes great comfort in knowing her pain and suffering has ended and she is now spending eternity with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Relatives and friends are invited to a Visitation 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, April 18 and 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Monday, April 19 followed by a funeral service at 12 p.m. at the Logan Funeral Home, 698 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton. Interment Grove Methodist Cemetery on Boot Road, West Chester.

The service will be live streamed. Please follow this link below beginning at 11:45 a.m.

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