Gertrude "Bobby" Frieda Walter Lerch

evening, April 12, 2014 surrounded by loving family members. Her amazing life spanned 104 years, 1

month, and 1 day.

She was born in San Francisco in 1910 to Albert and Mina Walter. Her family moved to Cokeville, Wy

in 1913, where her dad was to run a phosphate mine. Cokeville was on the Oregon Trail, and as a small

child she witnessed covered wagons moving west and bank robbers (the 'Green River Gang') stealing

her parents’ horses. The family moved again to New York State in 1916 where she spent her early

years. She excelled educationally, graduating as Valedictorian of Ardsley High School, Ardsley, N.Y.

and magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass., from which she also

received her Masters Degree in Chemistry. She taught chemistry at Mt. Holyoke, and later served as

President of the D.C Alumnae Association.

Bobby enjoyed travel, camping, genealogy, reading and needlepoint. She lived a full life of service to

others, participating actively in Girl Scouting as a scout, leader, trainer and officer. She was President

of the original Girl Scout Councils in the Washington Metro area and the Regional Combined Councils,

which she was instrumental in creating. Her involvement with Scouting spanned more than 90 years

and was recently honored by the Girl Scouts of the Washington D.C. Metro Area with a specially

minted 90-year service pin, the first in scout history.

She was very devoted to her church, starting as a teenage Sunday-school teacher in Ardsley, NY. Upon

relocating to the Washington, D.C. area she served St. Paul's Lutheran Church as Church Council

President, and for 70 years in many other roles, including Church Archivist, Trustee and Sunday School

Superintendent. She was also president of the Maryland Lutheran Church Women.

Bobby was the first woman President of the United Way of the National Capital Area. She twice visited

the White House to receive the President's contribution in person. She served as a Board Member and

Allocations Committee Chair, of the United Way for many years, and as a Board Member and Chair of

the Montgomery County Health Welfare Council..

She was actively involved with Henry Lerch and Wilton Wallace in the founding of the law firm of

Wallace & Lerch (now Lerch, Early Brewer, Chtd.) in 1950, and was associated with it for more than

64 years. She was a paralegal before anyone knew what 'paralegals' were. She was an expert in tax

returns, probate and case organization, and hostess of the firm's traditional New Years’ Eve luncheons

that began in 1950.

She is predeceased by her devoted husband of nearly 50 years, Henry F. Lerch, and survived by three

sons and their spouses: Harry and Sharon Lerch of Palm City, Fl., dahinda meda and Norma Grier of

Eugene, Or. and John and Harriet Lerch of Salisbury, Md. She is survived by 8 grandchildren, a dozen

great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren, all of whom she knew well.

A memorial celebration of her life will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 4900 Conn. Av., NW

Washington, DC on Sunday May 4, at 1:30 pm. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to St. Paul’s

or to a charity of your choice.

Arrangements under the direction of Joseph Gawler's Sons LLC, Washington, DC.