Elinore “Elly” Lent, lately of Broadmead (Cockeysville, MD) died peacefully at the age of 94 on May 3, 2022. Born, 1928 in Indiana to Burl and Ruth Lepird, Elly graduated from Coe College in 1950 where she met her husband of 48 years, John William Lent, who died in 1999. Elly’s niece, Cory Smith was a little girl when Elly was a young newlywed: impressed by her “pretty aunt who wore capris, a fitted sweater with pearls and cool flats”. Elly was a science major and wannabe veterinarian, filling our house with dogs, cats, and gerbils, often bringing them camping with the family in a small trailer. Elly and John lived in California, Ohio, Colorado and Maryland as John followed his career in aerospace marketing. An early feminist, and somewhat frustrated housewife, Elly raised her children and managed her boundless energy by exploring creative pursuits including needlepoint, mystery reading, embroidery, birding, gardening, and tutoring. She typically delegated housework to her kids. Later, she used this energy to advocate for women at the Hannah Harrison Women’s Employment Center. This experience fueled her passion for women’s issues and until retirement, she served in leadership roles at the Fairfax County Women’s Re-entry Center and the Fairfax County Commission for Women. Elly was not shy about sharing her opinions about politics and women’s issues and will be remembered for her intelligence, strong will and overall feistiness. After retirement, she and John settled in Savannah, Georgia where she remained after John’s death, adopting feral cats and her beloved dog, Daisy. Elly spent her time in Georgia, and then later at Broadmead consuming the news, Starbucks coffee, mystery novels and crossword puzzles. Her daughters attribute her longevity to Starbucks Mocha Frappucinos and Virginia Slims.
Elly is survived by her daughters, Kathleen Becker (Peter Becker) and Barbara Lent (John Koch), four grandchildren: Graham Becker (Meghan), Meg Becker (Daniel Reichman), Kathleen Del Buono (Patrick) and Claire Watkins as well as her precious great granddaughters: Carson, Eliza and Nolie Becker. Predeceased by her dog, Daisy, she leaves her toothless cat, Spike (AKA Mr. Kitty) to the care of her youngest daughter.
The family will celebrate Elly’s life later this summer.
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