Esther Mary (Roggie) Lehman

CROGHAN, NY ~ Esther Mary Lehman, 92, of 6868 Convent St., Croghan, died on Friday, June 22, 2018, in the home of her daughter where she resided and where she was under the loving care of her family and Lewis County Hospice.

Born May 9, 1926 in Martinsburg, NY, a daughter of John A. and Beatrice V. Hersh Roggie, she attended Lowville Free Academy until 1942 and then attended Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, VA.

She married Gilbert J. Lehman on August 20, 1946 at the Lowville Mennonite Church.  Mr. Lehman died on April 27, 2008.

In addition to working as a mother and homemaker, she worked for a basket factory in Lowville, making half bushel and bushel baskets during the 1940’s.  She volunteered for the Head Start Program at Beaver River Central School, delivered for Lewis County Meals on Wheels, volunteered at the Syracuse Regional Red Cross Bloodmobile Clinic in Croghan, including as their publicity chairperson, and volunteered at the Agape Shop in Watertown for a number of years.

Esther was a member of the Croghan Mennonite Church where she taught Summer Bible School for many years, and taught Sunday Bible School there until retiring at the age of 80.  Additionally, she was active in the Croghan Mennonite Dorcas Sisters Sewing Circle.  She also was a member of the Croghan Maple Twig branch of the Lewis County General Hospital’s Auxiliary, the Gideon Auxiliary and past Treasurer of the Lewis County Camp, and was a member and former Director of the American Maple Museum in Croghan.

Her favorite pastimes included sewing thousands of school bag kits and quilt tops for relief, gardening, working on puzzles, cake decorating and volunteering for anyone who needed it. Esther and her husband also visited many places including Haiti, Paraguay, Pacific Northwest and the Maritimes.

From time to time throughout her life, Esther and her husband enjoyed taking in foster children including Fresh Air kids from New York City, MCC farm trainees from Poland, Paraguay, Uruguay and Kenya, and Mennonite Your Way guests from several US states and several other countries.

Surviving are a daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen F. and Bruce Widrick, of Croghan, four sons and three daughters-in-law, Paul E. and Jane Lehman, of Niagara Falls, NY, Timothy G. and Karen Lehman, of Lancaster, PA, David E. Lehman and companion, Terre Pate, of New Bremen, and Walter W. and Tammy Lehman, of Croghan; nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren; one sister, Ellen Minor, of Dexter, NY; three sisters-in-law, Muriel Roggie, Colorado, Helen DeRoshia, Brownville, NY, and Barbara Roggie, Springville, NY, and numerous nieces and nephews. 

In addition to her husband Gilbert, she was predeceased by three brothers, Elmer, David and James Roggie, a sister and brother-in-law, Mary and John Lyndaker, brother-in-law, Clarence Minor, a niece, Evelyn Lyndaker, and a nephew, Richard Lehman.

Esther’s funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at the Croghan Mennonite Church, Croghan, with Elmer Lehman, Bruce Roggie, Ed Steckly and Keith Zehr, all of whom are clergy at various Mennonite churches, officiating.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Calling hours will be on Wednesday, June 27^th, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at Scanlon Funeral Home, Croghan.

Suggested Memorial Contributions may be made to the Croghan Mennonite Church, c/o the Dorcas Sisters Sewing Circle, Hospice of Lewis County, or Lewis County Search and Rescue.

To view Esther’s on-line obituary or to leave a message of sympathy for her family, please visit www.scanlonfuneral.com.

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