Our loving mother, Eleanor D. Fether, 90, of Bowling Green, OH, passed away on October 14, 2023. She was born on March 24,1933 in Lima, OH to the late Bertha and Oscar Dupes.
Eleanor is survived by her daughter, Susan F. Shaffer of Bowling Green and her son, P.J. Fether (Diana) of State College, PA; two granddaughters, Laura Shaffer and Cassandra Shaffer; three step grandchildren, Mara Reynolds (Jake), Maddie Hesley, and Damon Hesley; and a great grandson, Maxwell Pennington. She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, her son, Jeffrey C. Fether, and her grandson, James C. Fether.
Mom graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Business. During college and later she was active in her sorority (Phi Mu). It was at BGSU that she met her husband. In 1955 she married F. Fredrick Fether and they shared 64 years together before Fred’s death in 2019.
Before children, Mom lived and worked in Toledo. Upon deciding to start a family, she and Dad moved back to Bowling Green, where Dad began his career at BGSU and Mom began her career as loving mother and “Jill-of-all-Trades”.
Not only did Mom and Dad adopt and raise three grateful children with love, understanding and patience, but they fostered and cared for five foster children.
Mom was an independent and strong woman. She was an at-home mom to us, but also worked many at-home jobs. She was a “Culligan Woman”, taking calls for Culligan; a calligrapher, spending many hours at the counter carefully filling in names on awards, diplomas, certifications; a landlady who painted, plumbed and cleaned; and owner and hostess of a Bed and Breakfast in her “retirement”.
There was always time for fun. We have fun memories of spending time with “Uncles”,” Aunts”, and “Cousins”, friends and their families of Mom’s and Dad’s college years. We’d have family celebrations, weekend get-togethers, camping trips and Homecoming parties. These friendships have endured the test of time.
In the summers, Mom and Dad would pack us up and we’d spend 3 weeks camping, going all over the U.S., visiting National Forests and Parks, monuments and battlefields. My brothers and I have such good memories of these times. Even camping, Mom made good meals! As the youngest of seven, Mom often told me that cooking for the family was one of her chores. As such, she was a great cook, and many of our memories related to Mom revolve around food. At Christmas, after baking so many batches and types of Christmas sweets, Mom would plate them up, load them on the wagon and we’d deliver cookies to the neighbors.
Mom loved traveling and photographing the world with Fred, visiting every continent. They regaled us with stories of pink penguin poop in the Antarctic and hippos running through their camp in Africa. They once took a freighter “cruise” for six months and played a lot of gin rummy. And we always had a slide show upon their arrival home!
Her favorite at-home past times were reading, gardening and bird watching. She spent many, MANY hours in her retirement creating miniature dollhouses, starting from the ground up – building the house, wiring for lighting, painting and papering the walls, making the furniture, creating the food, and cross-stitching the rugs.
Mom was an amazing woman and a beautiful mother, and while we miss her, the memories she gave us will give us peace, just as she is at peace with her husband and son.
Per Eleanor’s request, there will be no service.
in lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations to the following:
Greater Toledo Community Foundation, Inc.
Attn: The Jeffrey C. Fether Scholarship Fund
300 Madison Ave. Suite 1300
Toledo, OH 43604
Bridge Hospice
15100 Birchaven Ln
Findlay, OH 45804
https://www.bvhealthsystem.org/education-resources/hospice/make-a-gift-to-bridge
Wood County Museum
13660 County Home Rd.
Bowling Green, OH 43402
