Lore May Mendler dies in OH, funeral held here

LORE MARIE BAER MAY MENDLER, a housewife and mother who, along with her family successfully fled the Nazis as a young lady and came to New Orleans to live, died in Columbus, OH on Sunday, August 10, 2014. She was 91.

Mendler, who was born in Frankfurt in 1923, married her first husband, Paul David May in 1946. The couple lived both in New Orleans and also in Texas for many years before she returned to New Orleans, following her husband’s death. Later, she married Leopold “Poldi” Mendler and continued to reside in New Orleans, until she was forced to evacuate the city due to Hurricane Katrina. The Mendlers took up residence in Brenham, TX after the storm, but the toll proved great on her second husband, who died in 2006. In 2008, she elected to live near her daughter, Susan May, in Ohio.

Mendler was the recipient of the “Woman of Valor” Award from Touro Synagogue and was an avid cook. She was a proud breast cancer survivor, who came to the aid and support of all victims of cancer.

Aside from her daughter Susan May (A. J. Ball) of Columbus, Lore is also survived by survived by two other children Richard May (Sheila), Rose Elllen Eckberg (Douglas); stepson Joel Mendler (Toby); step-daughter Fran Lake (Johnny); 11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Graveside services were held in Hebrews Rest Cemetery No. 3 on Friday, August 15, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. with Rabbi Alexis Berk officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Greater New Orleans Chapter of Hadassah or your favorite charity. Tharp-Sontheimer Funeral Home of Metairie was in charge of arrangements.