Obituary for Stella Jean Lutkehaus
Stella Jean(ne) Lutkehaus passed away peacefully on July 26th, 2019 at home under Hospice care following a battle with colon cancer. She was 88 years old.
Jeanne, as she preferred to be called, was born on October 25th, 1930 in Columbus, OH to parents Bernard Michael and Julia (Crippen) Ryan. She had one sister, Vera, 12 years her senior. Jeanne was named after Vera’s dance teacher, Stella Jeanette Becker. Being proud of her namesake, Mrs. Becker gave her free dancing lessons and costumes for years. She taught dance for Mrs. Becker for one year in Cambridge, OH during her senior year of high school and for another year at Lockbourne Air Force base teaching officers’ children. Jeanne preferred dancing to teaching, however, and performed with local theatre groups at the former Hartman Theatre in downtown Columbus.
After graduating from high school in June, 1948, Jeanne worked for Morehouse-Fashion, a department store, in their unit records department. It is during this time that she met Charles Joseph Miller on a blind date. They were married on February 26th, 1949, in Columbus, OH. To them were born two sons: Charles Michael (Mike) Miller and Dan Alan Miller. While raising their children, they enjoyed building friendships with their neighbors that lasted a lifetime. Chuck was a good dancer too, and they could often be found dancing the jitterbug at the many home parties they hosted. They were married for 24 years. For most of those years, Jeanne was a homemaker and mother. During the latter years of their marriage, she also worked for Spiegel Catalog as a Billing Machine Operator. Sadly, their marriage ended in divorce.
On December 7th, 1974, Jeanne married Louis Ernest Lutkehaus, and they resided in Lorain, OH. She gained two step-children, John and Barbara Lutkehaus (now Horace). Together they had Linda Ellen Lutkehaus (now Rayburn). When Jeanne was young, she dreamed of going to Florida and California during her lifetime. Her dream was far surpassed as Lou won trips and attended conventions working as an Agency Manager for State Farm Insurance. They traveled to Austria, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Acapulco, Hawaii, California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas to name a few places. They enjoyed music, singing, and dancing and frequently attended concerts, stage plays, and a ballroom dance club together. When Lou retired in December, 1986, they wintered in Florida for several years. In June of 1991, they bought a home and moved to Haines City, Florida. On December 12, 1996, Lou passed away after a short battle with metastatic lung cancer. They were married for 22 years. Throughout their marriage, Jeanne was a homemaker and mother.
In 2003, Jeanne moved to the Cincinnati area to be near her daughter Linda and her family. She resided in the Eastgate area until suffering an eye stroke in July, 2009, that blinded her in the right eye. This made driving difficult, so she moved to Chesterwood Village, a retirement community in West Chester, OH, where she lived in an Independent Living Cottage. She was able to participate socially there for many years playing bridge, going on midday excursions, and having dinners at the clubhouse. Her health declined significantly in June, 2018. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in December, 2018. She moved into a new home with her daughter Linda and her family in February, 2019 to enjoy the remainder of her life.
Jeanne was preceded in death by her husband Lou, her sister Vera, and her step-son John (Sue). She will be deeply missed by sons Mike (Valerie) and Dan (Diane), daughter Linda (Rich), step-daughter Barb (Greg), her 8 grandchildren: John David Lutkehaus, Michael James Metz, Kathleen Louise Metz (Ryan Powers), Carly Anna Rayburn, Megan Louisa Rayburn, Ryan Edward Horace (Kalyn), Kevin Elliot Horace (Amy), and Charity Kuehner; as well as her great-grandchildren, several generations of nieces and nephews, and many friends.
A memorial service to honor and celebrate Jeanne’s life will be held on Saturday, August 3rd at the Cincinnati Church of Christ, 4220 E. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236. Visitation will begin at 3:00pm, a service will be held at 4:00pm, and a repast will immediately follow for family and close friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Southwest Ohio Foundation, 7625 Camargo Road, Cincinnati, OH 45243.
Jeanne, as she preferred to be called, was born on October 25th, 1930 in Columbus, OH to parents Bernard Michael and Julia (Crippen) Ryan. She had one sister, Vera, 12 years her senior. Jeanne was named after Vera’s dance teacher, Stella Jeanette Becker. Being proud of her namesake, Mrs. Becker gave her free dancing lessons and costumes for years. She taught dance for Mrs. Becker for one year in Cambridge, OH during her senior year of high school and for another year at Lockbourne Air Force base teaching officers’ children. Jeanne preferred dancing to teaching, however, and performed with local theatre groups at the former Hartman Theatre in downtown Columbus.
After graduating from high school in June, 1948, Jeanne worked for Morehouse-Fashion, a department store, in their unit records department. It is during this time that she met Charles Joseph Miller on a blind date. They were married on February 26th, 1949, in Columbus, OH. To them were born two sons: Charles Michael (Mike) Miller and Dan Alan Miller. While raising their children, they enjoyed building friendships with their neighbors that lasted a lifetime. Chuck was a good dancer too, and they could often be found dancing the jitterbug at the many home parties they hosted. They were married for 24 years. For most of those years, Jeanne was a homemaker and mother. During the latter years of their marriage, she also worked for Spiegel Catalog as a Billing Machine Operator. Sadly, their marriage ended in divorce.
On December 7th, 1974, Jeanne married Louis Ernest Lutkehaus, and they resided in Lorain, OH. She gained two step-children, John and Barbara Lutkehaus (now Horace). Together they had Linda Ellen Lutkehaus (now Rayburn). When Jeanne was young, she dreamed of going to Florida and California during her lifetime. Her dream was far surpassed as Lou won trips and attended conventions working as an Agency Manager for State Farm Insurance. They traveled to Austria, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Acapulco, Hawaii, California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas to name a few places. They enjoyed music, singing, and dancing and frequently attended concerts, stage plays, and a ballroom dance club together. When Lou retired in December, 1986, they wintered in Florida for several years. In June of 1991, they bought a home and moved to Haines City, Florida. On December 12, 1996, Lou passed away after a short battle with metastatic lung cancer. They were married for 22 years. Throughout their marriage, Jeanne was a homemaker and mother.
In 2003, Jeanne moved to the Cincinnati area to be near her daughter Linda and her family. She resided in the Eastgate area until suffering an eye stroke in July, 2009, that blinded her in the right eye. This made driving difficult, so she moved to Chesterwood Village, a retirement community in West Chester, OH, where she lived in an Independent Living Cottage. She was able to participate socially there for many years playing bridge, going on midday excursions, and having dinners at the clubhouse. Her health declined significantly in June, 2018. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in December, 2018. She moved into a new home with her daughter Linda and her family in February, 2019 to enjoy the remainder of her life.
Jeanne was preceded in death by her husband Lou, her sister Vera, and her step-son John (Sue). She will be deeply missed by sons Mike (Valerie) and Dan (Diane), daughter Linda (Rich), step-daughter Barb (Greg), her 8 grandchildren: John David Lutkehaus, Michael James Metz, Kathleen Louise Metz (Ryan Powers), Carly Anna Rayburn, Megan Louisa Rayburn, Ryan Edward Horace (Kalyn), Kevin Elliot Horace (Amy), and Charity Kuehner; as well as her great-grandchildren, several generations of nieces and nephews, and many friends.
A memorial service to honor and celebrate Jeanne’s life will be held on Saturday, August 3rd at the Cincinnati Church of Christ, 4220 E. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236. Visitation will begin at 3:00pm, a service will be held at 4:00pm, and a repast will immediately follow for family and close friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Southwest Ohio Foundation, 7625 Camargo Road, Cincinnati, OH 45243.