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Opal Maxine Lease
Opal Maxine Lease, age 96 of Greenville, Ohio passed away on Wednesday
May 7, 2014 at the Brethren Retirement Community Greenville,
Ohio.
She was born February 16, 1918 in Monroe Township, Darke County, Ohio
to the late David and Mary (Taylor) Stager. She was a 1936 graduate of
Franklin Township High School, Darke County, where her highlights were
playing basketball, playing clarinet in the James Hopkins Orchestra,
and being valedictorian of her class. She then earned the following
degrees from Miami University: Diploma in Elementary Education in 1938,
Bachelor of Science in Education in 1944, and Master of Education in
1962.
Opal was a lifelong educator who began her teaching career in
Middletown, Ohio, serving 8 years as a 4th grade teacher. She then
taught English and Physical Education for 8 years at Colonel White
Junior High, in the Dayton Public School system, and one year in 3rd
grade at Greenville North School before starting her family in 1956.
She returned to education in 1964 teaching 6th grade at South School
and serving as a guidance counselor for 16 years at Greenville Junior
High, retiring in 1981. She initiated the special education, the OWA,
and the gifted programs for Greenville Junior High.
Opal was baptized as a member of the Painter Creek Church of the
Brethren and after marriage became a member of Wakefield Lutheran
Church and then St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. She was a Sunday school
teacher for over 25 years. She was a member of the Elite Club, Business
and Professional Women’s Club, and the Darke County Retired Teachers
Association, holding offices in each. In retirement she loved to square
dance, create scrapbooks of family history, and sell fair tickets for
the scholarship fund of BPW. She loved sports, lettering 4 years in
basketball in high school, and was an enthusiastic fan of the Miami
RedHawks and Cincinnati Reds.
She was married on December 28, 1949, to Clark Richard Lease, and has
celebrated 64 years of marriage with her loving husband. Opal was
preceded in death by her brother, Hollie William Stager. She is
survived by her husband, Clark, two daughters, Deborah Lease of Oxford
and Barbara (Jeff) Darkow of Avon Lake; three grandchildren, Sarah,
Daniel, and James Darkow, a sister Louise Boli of Greenville and
extended family and friends.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 10:00 A.M.
in the St. Paul Lutheran Church 131 East Fourth St. Greenville, Ohio
with Pastor Peter Menke officiating. Burial will follow in the
Greenville Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Friday
May 9, 2014 from 6:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. in the Zechar Bailey Funeral
Home Greenville, Ohio and on Saturday 1 hour prior to the services in
the church.
Memorial Contributions (in lieu of flowers) may be made to Families of
SMA, in honor of her grandson, Daniel Darkow. Condolences for the
family may be express through www.zecharbailey.com
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