Esther F. Imhoff

Esther Corinne Fleury Imhoff, 96, a 57-year resident of Columbus, Ohio, and formerly of Maryland, passed away on June 5, 2026, surrounded by some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Born on April 29, 1930, at Woodbine, the family farm in Upper Falls, Maryland, Esther was the daughter of the late Paul Aimé Fleury III and Esther Virginia McAlister Fleury. She was preceded in death by her brothers and some of their spouses: Paul (Doris), Charles (Dorothy), William (Mary), Alexander (Katherine), and Lewis Fleury, as well as by her sister, Mary Virginia Fleury Emory, and her husband, Thomas Emory.

A compassionate and loving mother, Esther will be greatly missed by her devoted children: Aimée (Joseph) Evans, Virginia (Rod) Cline, Thomas Imhoff, Stephen (Jamie) Imhoff, and Christopher (Bernadine) Imhoff. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 54 years, Paul G. Imhoff Sr.; her sons, Paul G. Imhoff Jr. and Leo F. Imhoff; and her grandson, William Imhoff.

Esther is survived by her cherished grandchildren: Joseph, Luke, Katelyn, Abraham, Jessica, Jacqueline, Amanda, Misha, Alex, Leah, Mary, Madeleine, and Miranda. She is also survived by her 20 great-grandchildren—Joseph, Aurelia, Naomi, Estelle, Ava, Corbin, Paul, Joseph, Ella Mae, Laila, Helen, Dominic, Enoch, Bellamy, Abraham, Simeon, Aaron, Murphy, and two great-grandchildren expected soon—as well as her sister-in-law, Genevieve (Lewis) Fleury; her daughter-in-law, Alecia Imhoff; and four generations of nieces and nephews.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Katelyn Neil, her husband Joseph, and their children for the loving and protective care they provided during Esther’s final years.

Visitation will be held on June 18, 2026, from 2-4 p.m. and 5-6:30 p.m. prior to a 6:30 p.m. memorial prayer service at Schoedinger Funeral Home, 6699 N. High Street, Worthington, Ohio 43085.

The Liturgy of the Christian Funeral will be celebrated on June 19, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church, 5858 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43231. Interment will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, 6440 S. High Street, Lockbourne, Ohio 43137.

Memorial contributions honoring Esther’s passion for life may be made to Heartbeat International.org/Esther (direct link posted below). Catholic Masses offered for the repose of her soul are also appreciated.

Esther’s legacy as a faithful Catholic and a model of unconditional love will live on in the hearts of the relatives and friends she blessed with her affection, prayers, stories, and joy.

Her life began as a celebration. She was the seventh child, born six years after her brother Lewis. Paul and Essie Fleury welcomed their second daughter when they were seasoned parents and regarded little Esther as a miracle. She brought joy to her family from the beginning.

Esther was their only child born on Woodbine, the family farm where her father and several previous generations had also been born. Her father grew vegetables, raised sheep and chinchillas, and trained ponies and horses. Esther’s favorite pastime was riding. She became an accomplished horsewoman, often riding her horse, Pat, to St. Stephen’s School. Later, she won numerous jousting tournaments and earned the title “Maid of the Joust,” as reported in The Baltimore Sun in 1947.

Surrounded by a large family and dozens of nearby cousins, Esther developed an adventurous spirit early in life. With several older brothers becoming pilots, she took her first airplane ride at age ten in a Piper Cub. Her mother thought she had gone riding, but Esther had other plans. When her brothers headed to the local airfield, she insisted on joining them.

Esther attended Mount Saint Agnes, following in the footsteps of her mother and sister. She lettered in field hockey and basketball and served as president of the Class of 1948. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and began her teaching career in Baltimore County in 1953. After years of teaching kindergarten in Ohio, she earned her master’s degree in education from The Ohio State University in 1983 and continued as an educator for Columbus City Schools. After six decades, with several breaks devoted to rearing her seven children, Esther ultimately retired at 83.

Esther married the love of her life, Paul Imhoff, in 1954 at St. Stephen’s Church in Bradshaw, Maryland. They welcomed their first two children, Paul Jr. in 1955 and Aimée soon after. As Paul’s teaching career progressed, the family moved several times within the Baltimore area. During those years they welcomed Leo, Virginia and Thomas. Esther remained close to family and friends and enjoyed visiting Maryland’s historic battlefields and museums.

When Paul accepted a position with the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State during the Kennedy administration, the family moved to Virginia. Soon afterward, they welcomed their sixth child, Stephen. Esther delighted in raising her young family and frequently returned to her beloved Woodbine, where she taught her children to ride horses.

She planned countless family outings, many of them educational, including trips to Washington, D.C., the nation’s monuments and museums, as well as George Washington’s Mount Vernon. She loved both history and nature and shared those passions with her children through visits to parks, gardens, and historic sites.

After 35 years in Maryland, Esther and Paul moved to Ohio when Paul joined the faculty of The Ohio State University. Together they devoted themselves to parenting, teaching, religious education, friendship, and prolife ministry. They joined other families in founding Mater Dei Academy and became founding members of Columbus Right to Life and Ohio Right to Life.

Esther was an organizer by nature. Whether coordinating bake sales, neighborhood watch programs, church activities, or family gatherings, she brought people together. Her home was always open, and there was always room for one more at the table. Family and friends will remember her as a magnificent matriarch who created unforgettable celebrations for holy days, holidays, baby showers, birthdays, baptisms, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, and countless other occasions.

Many summer vacations centered on visiting Catholic basilicas, cathedrals, and shrines, often combined with camping adventures. One memorable trip included a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Canada while traveling to Expo 67. Summers also meant camping at the beach, then returning to Woodbine to celebrate each new addition to the growing extended family.

Esther loved gardening, swimming, reading, photography, and documenting family life with pictures. Portraits of her family through the years and saints could be found throughout her home. In 1972, she welcomed Christopher, her seventh child.

Never without a smile, Esther possessed many talents and lived the Gospel daily. She genuinely loved people and wanted them to know Christ. She was approachable, attentive, and delighted by simple joys. At times she entertained family by playing the harmonica as her father taught her; at others she led patriotic driving with a car full of kids and often played piano for school programs.

A daily communicant, devoted catechist, and Third Order Franciscan, Esther served for seven years as a catechist at St. Anthony Catholic Church before becoming an active member of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church, where she continued teaching the faith and serving her parish community. She loved discussing theology and the lives of the saints and collecting holy cards, medals, crosses, angels and rosaries. Her deep and unwavering faith remained central throughout her life.

After retiring to care for her husband during his health challenges, Esther returned to Columbus City Schools following his death and served as a substitute teacher and a reading specialist. She retired permanently at age 83 after influencing thousands of students through her kindness, generosity, and dedication.

The arrival of each grandchild renewed Esther’s energy. She organized arts and crafts projects, sewing lessons, music activities, storytelling sessions, waffle-making mornings, picnics, zoo trips, and pool days. Her great-grandchildren became one of the greatest joys of her later years, and nothing delighted her more than spending time with them, especially at Woodbine.

Remarkably, Esther remained active well into her nineties. She enjoyed trips to the beach, boat rides, occasional first-class flights, visits with her children across the country, ziplining, swimming with dolphins, horse shows, the circus, and family reunions. In 2025, she made her final trip to Woodbine for a reunion attended by more than 300 relatives.

She frequently spoke of her parents, who married in 1912, and of the deep faith and love they passed on to future generations. She especially treasured the directive found in her father’s will:

"I have thanked God many, many times for blessing us with seven wonderful, dutiful and loving children and I hope and pray they will always live up to the True Faith and that they will always impress upon their children and their children's children the importance of maintaining the close relationship our family has always enjoyed and they will live up to the heritage of their ancestors."

Throughout her long life, Esther honored the Blessed Mother through the daily Rosary. In her final days, after much of the modern world had faded from memory, her deepest desire remained her union with our Heavenly Father and reunion with those she loved. It is fitting to believe that the prayers taught to her nearly a century earlier accompanied her into eternal life.

Each person who knew Esther experienced a different facet of her remarkable life. No single account can fully capture all that she loved, accomplished, and shared. The family invites you to honor Esther’s memory by sharing a favorite story or remembrance in the online guestbook.