Loeta Olwyn Werren

During her summers and after school in WWII, she helped Grace Main in her photography studio in Ripley. Grace Main was responsible for many of the local service members’ professional portraits before heading overseas to war (WWII).

She went to College at Buffalo State in Buffalo, NY, graduated in 1950 with a BA. and student teacher taught at Falconer Central School.

In January 1961, she started a 33 1/2 year career at Sherman Central School in Art education. As part of her teaching, she taught photography and poetry. For many of those years, she was also the advisor for the yearbook. Many former students and colleagues had very fond memories of their art teacher and friend. On June 6, 1970, she got her Master’s Degree from Syracuse University when GA State Rep. and Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond (1940-2015) and UN Secretary General U Thant (1909-1974) were the keynote speakers.

During the summer break and after her six-week summer school stint at Syracuse, she would travel to Northern Ontario, PEI, and other Maritime provinces, as well as parts of the US, in all cases taking us kids along and hauling a small, second-hand, homemade trailer. Her travels included many trips to Toronto visiting relatives and enjoying the city and as usual taking us kids along.

In the summer of 1974, she built a home outside Sherman in the Town of Westfield, where she lived until her passing. She was an avid Buffalo Bills and Toronto Blue Jays fan for many years. She still enjoyed her art work in her sunroom studio and also enjoyed writing poetry, and self-published a children’s book.

She was proud of her heritage and enjoyed talking either about being a direct descendant of many of the Mayflower voyagers or being a first-generation American depending on which side of the family you wanted to talk about.

She was a Lincoln Republican until she became a Lincoln Democrat in 2019 and followed politics with a passion. Her thing was to always vote the person on who is best qualified for the position and not the party. While living in Olean NY at 13 or so, she was confirmed at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and sang in the youth choir. When the family moved back to Ripley NY she became an active member of St Peter’s Episcopal Church in Westfield, NY and was a former member of the Vestry and Choir.

She originally helped start up the Westfield Community Kitchen at St Peter’s Episcopal Church in Westfield, NY.

She was active in the Chautauqua County Crippled Children’s Society and Easter Seals when she was teaching.

She was a member of Delta Kapa Gamma International and past president of her local chapter, and she was a past matron of Acacia Chapter #96 Order of the Eastern Stars State of NY.

Besides her parents, she is preceded in death by a son, John Lawrence Werren in 1957, a daughter, Christina E Deering in 2025, her former husband, Edward Werren in 1996, a sister, Penelope (Penny) Jane Mackintosh in 2013, and several nieces and nephews. She is survived by her brother, Lawrence Quentin (Nancy) Ayrault of Erie Pa, a Son Franklin S Werren of Sherman. Four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Jan. 15, from 11 am to 12:45 pm at St Peters Episcopal Church in Westfield NY An Eastern Star Service will be held on Jan. 15 at 12:45 pm at the church. Funeral will be at St Peters Episcopal Church in Westfield on Jan. 15 at 1 pm with burial at Quincy Rural Cemetery in Ripley NY afterwords. The family wants to thank her primary caregivers, Dar Meeder, Mary Miller and Laura Wengerd for their caring work over the last number of years.

Memorial donations can be made to St Peter’s Episcopal Church at 12 Elm St., Westfield, NY 14787.

To leave a remembrance or to post condolences to the family, please visit freayfuneralhome.com.