Lenore Overholtzer

Lenore Lesley Overholtzer (neé McLennan) was born in Brisbane, Australia, April 20, 1942, to loving parents Les and Pat McLennan. Lenore is one of four McLennan children.

Lenore is sister to Glen, deceased, Neil and younger sister Jocelyn.

Lenore was raised and schooled in the bayside suburb of Wynnum and started her working career at a young age until starting her family.

In her teenage years she met a young man named Hugh Leal to which they had four beautiful children Darran, Merrill, Tricia and Cameron (deceased).

Life was not the easiest for mum and her young family and this became even harder the passing of Hughie (Sonny) at the age of 36.

Mum had to bring up four very strong teenagers at this time that made her the strong confident lady everyone one knows.

Darran, Merrill and Tricia all married and started families.

Altogether Lenore has seven amazing grandchildren: Pearce and Frazer, Nathan and Andrew, Melissa, Lucas and Nicholas. Added also the great-grandchildren: Annabel, Ethan, Flynn, Tyler (deceased) and Ellie.

Her strength really showed when her youngest son Cameron became ill with leukemia at the age of 24 and was heartbroken when he passed away at 26 years of age.

Lenore enjoyed life, family, friends, her pets and definitely her gardens and her knitting. Her other passion was dancing so every weekend she would go to the jazz clubs and whip up a storm. Her Achilles was her dance dresses and shoes, some of them were stunning I must say.

In her 50s she decided to travel by herself, so she took off to Europe on her own and we all thought she was crazy because the furthest away she had ever traveled was a small town called Warwick on a property of a family member. She had an amazing time overseas and loved every minute of her travels.

When she returned from Europe she made her mind up to date again and it was to our horror at the time, going on dating sites. It is here that a new chapter in life began.

When visiting her one day she announced she has met a man for which our joke was “we do not want to meet him until you tell us you are getting married.” “Well!” she stated, “I’m off to America to decide if he is the one.”

History has now been written. His name was Richard “Dick” Overholtzer and he became our mother’s perfect match. They married in 2002 and 18 plus years on they were the perfect couple. Dick has four beautiful daughters: Ginger, Gina, Genny and Geri.

Dick was the perfect gentleman and stepdad. He knew how hard it was for Lenore to leave the country of her birth and live on a farm, but what was even harder was leaving her children and grandchildren. So they made a pact that as often as possible Lenore would come back to Australia to catch up with her beloved family and friends.

Dick himself came over to Australia to meet Lenore’s family and always joked he couldn’t’t understand our Aussie language and found it way too busy compared to quiet Clarke County life.

These two “love birds” had an amazing story together and their life was definitely enriched by the life they lead to the end.

This year 2020 has seen to be the craziest, most stressful and defiantly the saddest year for both families with the passing of Dick Sept. 2, 2020, and Lenore going into the rest home due to her illness.

On Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, at 9:35 a.m. (12:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, Australian time) Lenore passed away peacefully with Ginger at her side. This was the hardest thing we have ever had to do as a family because of COVID-19, we could not be with our mum and the heartbreak of this will be forever.

We love you mum and you will be in our hearts forever…