A memorial service to celebrate Lola's life will be held via livestream on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 11:00AM

To view the service, please click this link: https://boxcast.tv/view/lehman-service-100696 .

Lola D. Lehman, age 91, a resident of Wheaton, passed away at home, with family by her side, on March 20, 2020.

Lola was born on May 16, 1928 in Muscatine, Iowa to Merle and Twila Dodder.  Lola grew up on a farm in Letts, Iowa.  When chores were done, Lola would often disappear to the adventures inside the books which she grew to love.  Lola graduated from high school in 1946, and attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  She was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and Phi Beta Kappa national academic honor society, all the while teaching in Marion, Iowa and attending night classes to support herself and pay her way through school.  She graduated cum laude in her class and earned her Bachelor of Arts in English in 1951.

A lifelong churchgoer, Lola met her husband-to-be, Gilbert Lehman Junior, at St Paul's Methodist Church.  Lola was named the Sweetheart of Chi Beta Phi fraternity and was married to Gil in 1950.  She would often say that it was the one decision she was always certain about.  So much so, that Lola's only dating advice, was "go meet someone at church".  Gil and Lola lived in 11 different places during their first 10 years of marriage, including Colorado Springs, Reno and Letts, Iowa.  She taught fifth grade, which she loved, and seventh grade, where she learned that "something horrible happens to kids when they turn 13".

Lola and Gil moved to Wheaton, Illinois, where they would build their home.  She attained her Master's Degree in Library Science and put that to use, establishing the elementary libraries in West Chicago Schools, and serving as the Librarian for two decades.  At her retirement, the West Chicago Schools system officially renamed the Indian Knoll Library as the Lola Lehman Learning Center.  She maintained friendships with many of her colleagues, whom she would count among her closest friends.

A twenty-five-year member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, and later a nearly forty-year member of Gary United Methodist, Lola studied the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, and the founding principles of John Wesley.  Wesley's quote "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can" can be found in her kitchen, and could be traced through her activities at church, at home, and in the community.   Her church friends were special to Lola, as she was to them, engaging in rigorous debates on the intent and the specifics of the Gospels and the Letters of Paul.

Lola's retirement years were spent traveling the world, especially to those places where her favorite writers lived and described in their writing.  She learned to play golf, and while she never quite figured out how to keep score, she is the only one in the family to score a hole-in-one!  She also enjoyed summers at Little Blue Lake, Wisconsin and winters in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  She maintained great friendships and continued to serve others, delivering Meals on Wheels for 11 years, until she retired in February of this year.

Over the years, Lola's family grew, from Jeanne (Scott) Wolf, to Kathy (Ananth) Srinivasan, to Joel (Kristy) Lehman, and nieces and nephews, then to grandchildren Katie (Chris) Dent, Michael Wolf, Lindsay (Steve) Burdsall, Sonia Srinivasan, Connor Lehman, Vance Lehman and Sophia Leupi.   Lola left all with a feeling that they'd met someone truly unique – so caring and genuine, so honest, well-spoken and informed, so opinionated, proud, energetic and graceful.   With her twinkling eye, infectious laugh, and ready smile, she made friends feel like family from the moment they met and set an outstanding example of love in action.

She is survived by her husband of nearly 70 years, Gilbert Lehman Jr., and her children and grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations should be made to: Gary United Methodist Church, 224 N. Main St., Wheaton, IL 60187.