Gretchen Leppke

of 63 years, by her side. Gretchen was born on September 26, 1927 in Rochester, Mn. She is

survived by her beloved husband, Delbert Leppke, their two children, Kevin and Karen, two

grandchildren, Ian and Candice and two great grandchildren, Oliver and Katherine.

Gretchen attended elementary and high school in Rochester and graduated as an architect from

the University of Minnesota in 1950. Before joining Ellerbe Architects in Rochester, she traveled to

Sweden with Student Program for Amity among Nations to spend six months living with a family.

On her way home, she visited several European countries. Shortly after her return, she moved to

New York City where she met and married Del in 1955. They moved to Evanston in 1956 and then

to Deerfield before settling back in Evanston with their two children in 1966.

During her many years in Evanston, Gretchen was active in the Republican Club and the Evanston

chapter of the American Association of University Women. She was a member of Grace Lutheran

Church and later St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. She devoted her time in the Altar Guild and the local

women group of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America. Gretchen found her calling after

graduating with a Master’s in Feminine Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology in

Chicago, dedicating her career to being an advocate of women in the Lutheran Church. One of

her first positions was to work alongside a nun at the Uptown Mission’s “The Blue House” raising

the role of women in their respective churches.

Gretchen and Del traveled extensively throughout the world. Gretchen having been to Sweden

before many Americans went to Europe especially women, loved exploring countries just opened

to visitors from other countries and finding out about their cultures and traditions. They traveled to

China, Bhutan, Soviet Union, Iran and Oman in the 70s and 80s. When they returned home,

Gretchen would invite friends and neighbors to share these adventures. Even as they aged, they

continued to travel throughout the USA and the rest of the world. They connected with their

families in Denmark, Norway, and various areas of Germany, especially around Dresden.

Combining her love of travel and her advocacy to women, Gretchen set out on a journey to show

the similarities of women around the world by documenting, recording and producing a short

movie called “Rhythms and Rituals” capturing the lives of women from Bhutan, China, Kenya,

Korea, The Philippines, America, England and Zimbabwe to name a few. She attended 2 UN

sponsored International Conferences of Women, Nairobi (1985) and Beijing (1995) where she

established life-long friendships of women from around the world.

Gretchen loved God and her family. She advocated for the women of the world and the plight of

the Palestinian Churches. She read extensively about women in the Bible and loved discussions

of how women played important roles throughout religious history. She enjoyed going to the

theater and watching football on TV - Go Gophers! She appreciated conversing with all types of

people and learning about who they were. During her final years, she maintained her caring and

generous character with others in the Presbyterian Home and in return was cherished. Her family

would like to express their extreme gratitude to the aides, nurses, doctors and all her caregivers

for their care during the final years of her life.

Donation information

Please inform one of the family when you have donated.

Kevin Leppke: [email protected]

Karen Ralph: [email protected]

Del Leppke: [email protected]

Gretchen has 2 organizations to which donations can be given in memory of her.

You can donate via their websites or by check

1. Lutheran Schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

Website: elcjhl.com

Webpage: community.elca.org

steps to donate:

community.elca.org>one time donations>+ I would like to choose an area for this gift to

support>Lutheran Schools in the Holy Land> +This donation is in honor/memory of someone>

Gretchen Leppke

2. Gannon Center for Women and Leadership at Loyola University

Website site: luc.edu

Steps to donate:

luc.edu>give to Gannon>make a gift>tribute gifts>Gretchen Leppke

Or you can send a check:

Payable to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

In the memo section: Gretchen- Schools or Gretchen-Women

Please give/send the check to

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

1004 Greenwood St

Evanston, IL. 60202

We are grateful for your support to these organizations in memory of Gretchen.