Eleanor R. Essman, 92, of Wellston, Ohio, passed away Monday morning, March 21, 2016, at the Holzer Medical Center-Jackson ER. She was born in Wellston on March 23, 1923, to the late Harry B. and Dorothy Browne Reese. She was a 1941 graduate of Wellston High School, and in 1967 earned a B.A. from Ohio University, and was inducted into the Greek Honorary Society. She was the Wellston High School librarian from 1966 to 1989.
During WW II, while her mother was editor of The Sentinel, she gathered and wrote news stories. She was an avid genealogist, local historian, and curator of the Rotary Minstrel costumes. She was an active volunteer for the Southern Hills Arts Council, and along with her husband opened up their home to numerous foreign exchange students who kept in contact with her through the years. She was devoted to Sts. Peter & Paul School and organized the school’s 100th anniversary reunion.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death on March 7, 2015, by her husband, Dr. Paul Essman; her brother, Harry “Brownie” Reese in 1991; and a great-granddaughter, Rhiann Richmond.
She is survived by four children: Dr. Anne (Dr. Barry) Richmond of Bethesda, Maryland; Marcie (Jeff) Heiser of Reynoldsburg, Ohio; Mary Pat (Chuck Thompson) Essman of Hamilton, Ohio; and Dr. Joe (Kathy) Essman of Wellston. She is also survived by the following grandchildren: Jay Richmond, Nathan (Trish) Richmond, Ian Richmond, Joe (Emily) Mahle, Jake (Kristin Woeste) Mahle, Pete Essman, Christy Essman, Bethany Essman, and David Heiser, as well as 16 great-grandchildren and many cherished nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends at the Jenkins Funeral Chapel in Wellston on Wednesday from 6 until 8 p.m., followed by the Rosary. Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Wellston with Father Donald Maroon officiating. Interment will follow in the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wellston.
The family requests that all memorials be made to the Sts. Peter & Paul School in Eleanor’s memory. Please send online condolences to www.samjenkinsfuneralchapel.com