Lisa D Kenter

Lisa Kenter, fka Lisa Anne Dickhaut, was born January 11, 1958 in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Richard Frederick and Mary Ann Dickhaut.  She had two older brothers, John Edward Dickhaut and William Andrew Dickhaut.  The family moved from her birthplace in 1961, to a new home in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1962.  The family then moved to Prairie Village, Kansas in 1966, where Lisa attended Highlands Elementary School and Indian Hills Junior High School.  She was active in Girl Scouts and demonstrated a talent for painting and art.  In 1970, the family moved to Cincinnati, where Lisa attended Anderson High School.  Lisa, her mother, and father moved to Birmingham, Michigan in 1974, where she attended Seaholm High School.

After her graduation from Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan in 1976, Lisa went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio to pursue a BS in Geology.  At the conclusion of her undergraduate studies, Lisa stayed in Oxford to pursue her MS in Geology.  While a part of this program, Lisa met the love of her life, Rick, who made the decision to follow her to New Orleans upon finishing his own Masters degree.

While on an overnight stay in Indianapolis (Rick’s hometown), Rick decided to romantically propose to her while laying down after a long day of travel.  The couple married in Cincinnati in 1983 while they still lived in New Orleans, the site of Lisa’s oil exploration job for Chevron.  In 1986 Rick and Lisa moved back to Cincinnati to start their careers in environmental consulting and build their first home on Spring Mill Way in the Kings Local School District.  Their two sons, Adam and Eric, were born in this house prior to spending most of their years as a family on Green Haven Way in the same neighborhood, Woodfield.

After the birth of her second son, Lisa took on her most challenging and important job yet—being a full-time mom.  Wherever her kids were, she was too.  Whether it was a practice, game, concert, or the latest Beanie Baby release, rest assured, Lisa was there and showing her love and support.  Her days were also filled by giving countless hours to the J.F. Burns Elementary School PTO, even running the “Hands on Science” after school program for a number of years.  As her kids got older, Lisa was not only a loving maternal figure to them, but to all of their friends who spent hours in their family’s basement playing ping pong and video games.  Amidst the chaos of having kids, Lisa found time to unwind by participating in “Bunco” and “Box of Wine” nights with her neighborhood friends.

As her children grew older, Lisa took great pride in seeing both of them graduate from her alma mater—Miami University—and starting their careers in sales and education respectively.  She was also thrilled and proud to see them both marry the loves of their lives, and she began building relationships with the two daughters she never had, Tatum and Kelsey.  Her sons’ spouses not only provided her with an opportunity to have daughters late in life, but also to fulfill her dream of being a grandmother.  Nolan Adam, Cohen Cruze, Miles Andrew, and Remy Joseph all brought tremendous joy to their “Gigi” and were loved by her unconditionally in return.

Lisa loved to spend time in her self-proclaimed “happy places” that included the porch swing at her Green Haven Way house, the beaches of Siesta Key, Hilton Head, and Amelia Island, as well as on the back-porch with her husband Rick at their final home in South Lebanon.  These happy times in “happy places” were always accompanied by coffee or a glass (maybe more) of Fish Eye brand Pinot Grigio.  Lisa will be severely missed by all of her loved ones as she goes to her final “happy place” to look after them.

Lisa is preceded in death by her mother, Mary Ann Dickhaut, and her brother, John Edward “Jed” Dickhaut.  She is survived by her father, Richard Dickhaut of Lebanon, OH, her husband, Richard Kenter of South Lebanon, OH, her son, Adam (Tatum) Kenter of South Lebanon, OH, her son, Eric (Kelsey) Kenter of Cincinnati, OH, her brother, William “Bill” (Laura) Dickhaut of Holden, MA, and four grandchildren, Nolan, Cohen, Miles, and Remy.

Visitation will be held for Lisa on Sunday January 14th, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Mueller Funeral Home, 6791 Tylersville Road, Mason Ohio 45040.  A memorial will follow from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.