Groff Funeral Homes
1607 East Perkins Avenue
Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: 419-626-3632
Fax: 419-626-2445
Email: info@grofffuneralhomes.com
Website: http://www.grofffuneralhomes.com
View All Obituaries from Groff Funeral Homes
Thelma E. Jefferson 91, residing in Sandusky, Ohio passed away early Friday morning in Firelands Regional Medical Center following a brief illness.
She was born on February 16, 1922 in Vickery, Ohio to the late Bernard B. and Dollie (Kloepfer) Lee. Thelma was a member St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Thelma and her late husband Leonard were partners in many business ventures in the Sandusky area, including Jefferson File Exchange, Jefferson Camera & Hobby Center, the early development of the African Safari Wildlife Park, the Norwalk Theatre, the German Village Tavern and " Saved the State Theatre" from destruction, refurbished it with help of their friends and neighbors. After Leonard's death, Thelma Manage the State, booked films and live shows, and handled all payroll single-handedly for a year before achieving their dream of a real Community Theatre for Sandusky by selling to the nonprofit group that was the ancestor organization of the one presently operating the Theatre. It was both a "gift" and a "challenge" for the cultural enrichment of our community.
The major enterprise that drove her & the family was the creation of the ten rides Kiddieland at Cedar Point which included a small roller coaster, the first in a decade & the only one in the 1950s & 1960s until the Blue Streak. Thelma was the "Queen of Kiddieland", the one lady who had her own merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, live steam locomotive, coaster & many other attractions. She also owned & managed 4 souvenir stands sending a lot of children happily home with nice affordable remembrances of Cedar Point from 1952-1970.
See was an avid roller skater from her teenage years, skating in the rinks all along the northcoast. Her love of molding plaster figurines, teaching painting classes & painting them herself have her great joy. One winter was spent in her kitchen with a blow torch burning off years of old paint from 40 merry-go-round horses & then turning around & repainting them all. And this was all by the time she was only 65. The last 25 she spent the winters in Florida & summers touring the US states with life-long friends in an Airstream Trailer Club. What a Ride! Her greatest joy was spent visiting her grand children and great grandchildren.
Thelma is survived by her son Rev. Ronald Lee (Linda) Jefferson of Canel Fulton, Ohio; three grandchildren Ronn Winsor (Tamara) Jefferson of Aurora, Illinois; Shawn Saliba (Russell) Jackson of Annapolis, Maryland and Melinda Frazier (Jeremy) O'Dette of Columbus, Ohio, six great-grandchildren Nathaniel David Jefferson; Joseph Jefferson Jackson; Zachariah Winsor Jackson; Elliot Frazier O'Dette; Evelyn Hadley O'Dette and Emerson William O'Dette; and her friend and companion Wilbur Ramsey of Huron.
Including her parents Thelma is preceded in death by her husband Leonard F. Jefferson in 1987 and one brother Robert H. Lee.
Friends may call on Monday May 6, 2013 from 4-7 PM in the Groff Funeral Home and Crematory 1607 E. Perkins Ave. Sandusky, Ohio. Funeral services will be conducted on Tuesday May 7, 2013 at 11 AM in the funeral home. The Rev. Roger Skelley-Watts of the Huron United Methodist Church will officiate. Burial will be in Sandhill Cemetery.
Memorial contributions in Thelma's name if desired may be directed to Stein Hospice 1200 Sycamore Line Sandusky, Ohio 44870. On-line condolences may be made to www.grofffuneralhomes.com
