Emilie Lehr Pirrone
Born on Christmas Day in 1940 in Oakes, North Dakota, Emilie was the daughter of the late Leo and Viola Lehr. Sheridan, Wyoming, became an important part of her life and family story. She was raised in Sheridan and attended Sheridan Junior College, where she was a cheerleader. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics from North Dakota State University and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
Emilie began her career in the Cleveland, Ohio, area as a product and cooking demonstrator for a local utility company and later worked in public relations for a nonprofit organization. It was in Cleveland that she met Ray Pirrone, who became the love of her life. Emilie and Ray were married in Sheridan in 1969, beginning a devoted partnership that would carry them through many places and seasons of life.
Their married life began in Cleveland. With their son, Joel, they later made homes in Columbus, Ohio; Yorkshire, England; St. Joseph, Michigan; Summit, New Jersey; and Cape Cod, where they settled in 2002. Em, as she was often called, later worked in food styling for product advertising photography and managed the bridal registry at the Short Hills Neiman Marcus store. On Cape Cod, she volunteered at Cape Abilities, Inc.'s thrift store and was a parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption in Osterville, Massachusetts.
Emilie will be remembered as a delightfully independent lady with a creative spirit, a strong sense of style, and a deep love for her family. Sheridan remained a meaningful place in her story, from her childhood and education to her marriage to Ray. Her niece, Amanda Wing Hingston, and nephew Donovan Wing, were both born in Sheridan, Wyoming.
Emilie is survived by her husband, Ray; her son, Joel, of Washington, D.C.; her sister, Jermaine Lehr Wing, and her husband, George, of Hyannis, Massachusetts; her brother, Phillip Lehr, and his wife, Vickie, of Tucson, Arizona; her niece, Amanda Wing Hingston, and her husband, Greg, of Cape Cod, and their children; her nephew, Donovan Wing, and his wife, Caroline Fox Wing, of Cape Cod, and his children; and her nieces and nephews Lynne Lehr Buck, Greg Lehr, Lorie Lehr Leopold, Lance Lehr, and Anne Lehr. She was predeceased by her older brother, Leon Lehr. She is also survived by many dear cousins in Ray's extended family in Cleveland and beyond.
A funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of the Assumption in Osterville, Massachusetts, on Friday, June 19, 2026, at 11 A.M. Interment will be private. Chapman Funerals & Cremations (www.chapmanfuneral.com) will be handling the funeral Mass arrangements. A Cleveland celebration of life will be held at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Bay Village, Ohio, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 10 A.M. Additional information may be found at www.emilie-memorial.net.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Cape Abilities, Inc., 895 Mary Dunn Road, Hyannis, MA 02601, or at www.CapeAbilities.org.