Elayne M. Lehrer

Elayne Margaret Lehrer was peacefully called home to Jesus at the age of 86 on February 9, 2025. Elayne was born on July 31, 1938, in Kaukauna, Wisconsin to the late George and Elizabeth (Gast) Welhouse. In her early years, Elayne found joy in collecting coins, caring for her siblings and spending time outdoors - fishing and catching turtles whenever she had the chance.
After completing her schooling, she met the love of her life, Dennis Lehrer. They were married on June 18, 1960, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kaukauna. Together they built a family and future, founding their concrete business, Delrar Inc. While Dennis specialized in concrete, Elayne dedicated her career to what she did best, caring for others. She provided in-home health care to the sick and elderly, serving families with kindness and compassion.
Many weekends and holidays were spent at the family cabin on Pickerel Lake, where Elayne took pride in collecting hellgrammites in the spring- a delicate labor of love, as was keeping them alive. Her navigating skills were consistently proven to line up with the correct landmarks to find the lucky fishing holes. To ensure her luck she'd always spit on her bait. The reward for all that effort came when the entire family joined in preparation of a fresh perch fish fry, turning their catch into cherished memories.
Elayne's love for Christmas was apparent to any passerby. The yard was adorned with plastic figurines galore, while the inside sparkled with glitter and tinsel, including the thousands of carefully placed "icicles" on her prized Christmas tree. In the days leading to the holiday she perfected cookie decorating, using a toothpick to ensure every detail was just right. Many looked forward to her gift of homemade Russian tea balls, filled with hand shucked hickory nuts. And at the first sign of winter, she was always the first to excitedly call her family to announce "It's snooooooowing"!
In retirement, Dennis and Elayne enjoyed traveling in their motorhome to NASCAR races, Packer Games and her beloved Las Vegas. You could often find her honing her poker skills and trying her luck at the slots. They eventually settled their wandering ways as part-time snowbirds in Arizona, escaping the frigid Wisconsin winters, enjoying the sun and a whole new community of friends. There she would enjoy her sun porch, elaborately decorating her home or perfecting her card playing skills with cribbage, rummy and spades.
Many will remember Elayne's love of cooking. Her signature dishes included Italian spaghetti, German dumplings with homemade sauerkraut, juicy eggs and eggs in white sauce, to name a few. But only the lucky ones will remember that everyone had to scrape their shade of toast or her filling their plate with just one more scoop of mashed potatoes. She will be remembered just as fondly for her signature style – her fancy nails, cotton in her ears, a classic Betty White hairdo, sparkling jewelry and finished with her signature hot pink lips. A parting kiss left a pink lipstick shade on the cheek and a warm feeling in the heart as she always insisted on saying goodbye or her favorite farewell saying, "I love you most". Elayne had a way of making everyone she met feel special, and they quickly learned of her love and friendship. She never met a stranger-only friends she hadn't yet gotten to know. Elayne is preceded in death by her son Jodie Lehrer; her sisters Joann Frederickson, Eunice (Donald) Grissman; brother Richard Welhouse; In-laws: Mike Weninger, Robert Lehrer, Richard (Eunice) Lehrer, Lilas Lehrer, Reinhold "Rocky" Lehrer, Roger Lehrer, Theresa (Otto) Zoesch; and a nephew, Christopher Lehrer.
Whether you called her Elayne, Wife, Mom, Grandma, Great- Grandma (although she was always great, as she reminded us many times) or a friend, she will forever be loved and missed. Most of all by her devoted partner in life and love, Dennis as well as their children: Rena (James "Wayne") Heaton, Rory Lehrer and Travis (Therese) Lehrer. She leaves behind cherished Grandchildren: Tiffany (Spencer), Torree (Andy), Ty (Jessica), Nicole (Nicholas), Travis Jr, and Dillon; as well as Great Grandchildren: Elayna, Mason, Finley, Tia Rose, Sterling, Jade, Emilia, Dominic, Olive, Daphne and Aria. She is also survived by her siblings: Eugene Welhouse, Sharon (Jerry) Pitt, David Welhouse; and in-laws: Rosemary Weininger, Marilyn Lehrer, Roy (Linda) Lehrer, Martha Lehrer, Sharon Baer, as well as many other dear friends.
The immediate family would also like to thank the staff at Willow Lane Assisted Living and her many visitors for making her last days full of love and care, just like she gave to so many in her lifetime. Though she is no longer with us Elayne's love, warmth and unforgettable spirit will live on in the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know her.
The funeral to honor Elayne's life will be held at 11:30am, on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 3703 Fairview Road, Neenah. Visitation will be from 9:30am until the time of the service at the church. Entombment will take place at 10:00am on Monday, February 17, 2025 in the Star of Hope Chapel Mausoleum within Appleton Highland Memorial Park.