The Many Talents of Winifred Waye

The book Artists in Ohio lists Winifred Waye as a painter, musician, and newspaper woman, active in Sandusky at the turn of the twentieth century. Winfred Lee Waye was born in March 1874 to Dr. and Mrs. Edgar Waye. Dr. Waye was a dentist in Sandusky. In the 1900 U.S. Census, Winifred states her occupation as an artist, and her sister Adelaide was listed as a musical student. This drawing was created by Winifred L. Waye in 1899 when she was a student in the Sandusky Public Schools.

Winifred Waye was on staff at the Sandusky Star Journal for a number of years. She wrote a widely read column for the newspaper under the name “Mollie Lee.” The column appeared on the Women’s Page of the paper, and was also syndicated to magazines. An article in the January 25, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal was entitled: “Don’t Always Say What You Think, For It’s Embarrassing; Tact a Very Necessary Quality.” A column which appeared in September of the same year suggested that two families cannot live in the same house if the bride or her mother-in-law become too critical. The article below by Mollie Lee discusses Mothers’ Sunday:

After working for several years as a newspaper woman, Winifred Waye left journalism to become superintendent of the Associated Charities. She also served as the organist for several area churches, and took a deep interest in working with the blind. Teaching citizenship classes was another one of her many community contributions. Miss Winifred Waye passed away on September 16, 1943. Her obituary is found in the 1943 Obituary Notebook at the Sandusky Library. An excerpt from her obituary reads: “All her life Miss Waye has been a charity worker and no one perhaps is better informed as to who are the truly needy and why they are in need, for she has practically made charity work the study of a lifetime.” At the time of her death, Winifred Waye had no immediate family members still living. She was buried at Oakland Cemetery. Visit the Follett House Museum to view two pieces of art created by Winifred Waye. One is a painting of a floral arrangement, and the other is an illustrated Family Tree done in needlework.