Mary Ellen (Waid) Carpenter

Mary Ellen (Lenhart) Waid Carpenter, 70, passed peacefully from this life on Tuesday evening, May 18, 2010 following a lengthy stay at the Crawford County Care Center.

Mary Ellen was born January 10, 1940 in Clearfield, PA the tenth child of Homer and Velma Luzier Lenhart.  She married Horace Crow August 11, 1956 and had three sons, Howard, Jay and Jeff.  She later married Charles Waid with whom she had her only daughter, Theresa.  Together they owned and operated Waid's Grocery of Black Ash and as a family were founding member of the North Meadville Church of Christ.

Mary Ellen and Charles built a home and raised their children in Hayfield Township, where she began her second successful business venture, Waid's Transportation.  In addition to two businesses, Mary Ellen was employed by Channellock Inc. and the Penncrest School District.

Mary Ellen was devoted most of all to her four children, three of whom, Howard Crow and his wife Beth, Jeff Crow and Theresa Wykoff and her husband R. Douglas, all reside in Meadville and Jay Crow and his fiancée Kim Berry of Lititz, PA.  Together, they blessed Mary Ellen with eleven grandchildren and recently two great grandchildren.  She was a faithful Christian wife and mother, church member and successful businesswoman.

She is also survived by two sisters, Laure Aughenbaugh of West Memphis, AR and Arlean Childs of Berea, KY and four brothers, Richard Lenhart of Clearfield, Lester Lenhart of Black Ash, Arthur Lenhart of Lancaster and Russel Lenhart of Union, OH.

Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her husband's Charles Waid April 12, 1981 and Glenn R. Carpenter April 12, 2010; two sisters, Eleanor Rowles and Jean Miller and five brothers, Homer Lenhart, Paul Lenhart, James Lenhart, Donald Lenhart and Frances Lenhart.

Calling hours will be Friday from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Robert W. Waid Funeral Home, Inc., 581 Chestnut Street, Meadville.  The celebration of life service will follow, Saturday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.

Interment will be in Roselawn Memorial Gardens.