Woman who died after long cancer fight to be honored

How to go

What: Warren County Foundation Community Service Awards Banquet

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14

Where: Manor House, 7440 S. Mason Montgomery Road, Mason

Cost: $50 per person

More info: Call (513) 934-1001 or email info@warrencounty foundation.org

WARREN COUNTY — Mary Jo Cropper battled breast cancer for 18 years before succumbing to the disease in January, but everyone who knew her said she never let the fight slow down her drive, passion and desire to help others.

“God put her here to take care of a lot of things,” said Nan Sempsrott, a lifelong friend of Cropper. “When she became a part of your life, she was a part of it from then on, always.”

Cropper will be honored posthumously with the George R. Henkle Philanthropy and Community Service Award at the Warren County Foundation annual awards banquet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at the Manor House in Mason. Cropper, who was a daughter of Lebanon philanthropist Ralph Stolle, never felt sorry for herself and was always willing to help someone in need, Sempsrott said.

“She was going to the hospital all the time for chemotherapy and she’d meet so many people who she wanted to help,” Sempsrott said. “She met a lot of women in the hospital and if one of them was doing poorly or going to hospice, she was always there with them. She was a support system for a lot of people.”

Cropper donated money to begin the Mary Jo Cropper Family Center for Breast Care at Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati.

“I think that’s the thing she’d be most proud of,” said her husband, Rob. “She was always very positive. She believed if you didn’t stay positive, you weren’t going to last long.”

Cropper also co-chaired the first Relay for Life held in Warren County, a fundraiser for cancer research that has become an annual event and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight breast cancer.

Before becoming involved in cancer research, Cropper was a schoolteacher for more than 20 years, often working with special needs children.

“She had a lot of students who kept in touch with her and she was always very proud of that,” Rob said. “She tutored many students with learning disabilities and many of them went to college because of her.”

Rob and Cropper’s son, Spence, will receive the award on their mother’s behalf.

“I think she’d be embarrassed to get this award even though she deserves it,” Rob said.

Others being recognized include Janet Steinke for the Emerging Leader in Community Service; Warren County Community Services as the Outstanding Organization Community Service; The Museum at the Friends Home in Waynesville as the Emerging Organization Community Service; and Duke Energy as the Outstanding Business Community Service.

The Warren County Foundation manages and administers a number of different charitable funds and distributes income from its endowment funds to community charitable organizations and scholarship programs.