Eileen (Zehr) Lehman, 91, of Hilliard, Ohio, died May 20, 2024. She was born Jan. 6, 1933, to Elias M. and Martha Widrick Zehr in Lowville, N.Y.

She attended Eastern Mennonite College and taught elementary education near Buffalo, N.Y., from 1951 to 1953. She married Elmer J. Lehman at Lowville on Aug. 29, 1953. One year after their marriage they entered Mennonite Voluntary Service in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, where they administered a children’s home. In 1956 they moved to Harrisonburg, Va., where Eileen continued her college studies while teaching elementary school. Both Eileen and Elmer graduated from Eastern Mennonite College in 1960, she in elementary education. She then taught Bible in Weekday Religious Education in Rockingham County.

They left for Costa Rica in 1961, serving 22 years under Rosedale Mennonite Missions in church planting and pastoral work. They adopted five children in Costa Rica.

In 1983 they settled in Harrisonburg, where Eileen graduated from Eastern Mennonite University with a master of education degree. They moved to Hilliard in 1986 when Elmer was employed at Rosedale Bible College. Eileen taught special education until retirement in 2000. She assisted on a committee to organize a nonprofit thrift shop, Country Closet, and served as its volunteer manager for 10 years.
She and Elmer made numerous trips to teach church leaders in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Kenya, East Africa, New Mexico and Texas. They were part of church-planting teams to establish Agape Community Fellowship and Iglesia Cristiana Hispana, English and Spanish-speaking congregations in Hilliard.

Survivors include five children, Emily (Conrad) Mayer of Galloway, Ohio, Elnora (Steven) Widrick of Waxahachie, Texas, Erland (Nicole Weber) of Kingston, Jamaica, Melvin (Sandra Acosta) of San Antonio, Texas, and Marvin of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; seven siblings, Pauline Myers, Ralph (Betty) Zehr, Milton Zehr, Margaret (Emanuel) Gingerich, Carolyn (Milford) Lyndaker, Joseph (Malinda) Zehr and Donna (Gerry) Keener; sisters-in-law Pearl Zehr and Pauline Zehr; and brother-in-law Lee Yoder.

She was preceded in death by brothers Floyd Zehr and Walter Zehr; sister LaVerne Yoder; brother-in-law Homer Myers; sister-in-law Dorothy Zehr; and infant sister Judith Marie.