GREENFIELD– Lena Blackwell McGrew passed away peacefully in her sleep, after a long illness, in Greenfield, on November 5, 2008.  She was 92.

Born October 14, 1916, to Benjamin Franklin and Belva Blackwell in Bridgeport, West Virginia, Lena was the third of seven children.  As a teen, she nursed her mother through a long illness and helped raise her younger siblings.  She was later able to complete high school, graduating from Parkersburg (WV) High School in 1934.

After high school, she worked as a bookkeeper until she married Max B. McGrew, a Navy Seabee, in 1945.  They raised their two children in the Defiance, Ohio area and she worked for twenty-three years as a secretary and then Assistant Director of the Development Office at Defiance College, where she was affectionately known as “Mac.”  Lena and Max enjoyed their retirement years in the Leesburg, Florida area.

Lena was a dear friend to many throughout her life, sharing her love of reading, learning, travel, needle arts, bridge, and her church with friends in West Virginia, Ohio, Florida, and then Indiana, where she spent the last seven years of her life.

She is preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, and her husband. Max.  She is survived by her loving children, Max Jr. (Marcia) McGrew of Greenfield and Susan McGrew (husband, Bruce Krasnow) of Santa Fe, NM; grandchildren, Braden (Sarah) McGrew of Tuscon, AZ, and Darin McGrew of Gainesville, FL, Zachary Krasnow, and Lena Petrika McGrew of Santa Fe, NM.  She is also survived by her brother, Roy Blackwell of Parkersburg, WV; sisters, Ona Huber of Noblesville, IN, and Ada Pugh of Tallahassee, FL; and many dear nieces and nephews.

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. at Park Chapel Christian Church, 1176 E. McKenzie Rd., Greenfield, Indiana.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be directed to the Hancock Regional Hospital Hospice, 801 N. State. St, Greenfield, Indiana, 46140, or to The Defiance College, Defiance, Ohio, 43512.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Erlewein Mortuary in Greenfield.

Friends may sign the online guestbook at www.erleweinmortuary.com or e-mail condolences to sympathy@erleweinmortuary.com.