This is the last of seven profiles of the 2020 honorees of the Outstanding Women of Clinton County Class of 2020.

In the years before her death in 1986, Elizabeth Carter Weaver co-owned and managed a successful janitorial business in Clinton County mentoring many young people doing entry-level work cleaning offices at night.

Described as kind and empathetic, Weaver understood what a confusing and shocking moment this can be for some first-time employees, helping many successfully navigate life changes that come with daily work.

Work was not an abstract concept for Weaver. She spent a lifetime laboring in kitchens and restaurants in Wilmington and Xenia, using skills learned along the way to help her eventually build and operate a successful business of her own.

Weaver was born in 1918, the youngest of six children. A graduate of Kingman High School, friends and family recall her as a kindhearted woman intensely loyal to family with a fondness for children and their welfare.

She learned to cook from her mother, Mattie Carter. Together, they were well-known in the county by 1938 as cooks for numerous banquets, church events, and parties.

Married at age 19, she and her husband are the parents of five children. Along the way, four more children joined the family when the couple agreed to help a mother hospitalized for an expended period.

Rather than a burden, Weaver relished the reward of caring for additional children.

In addition to early cooking jobs in area restaurants, she later operated the cafeteria at the Randall auto parts company in Wilmington. Well-known for her homemade bread and pastries, she also cooked for the sheriff’s office, feeding staff and prisoners alike.

In 1969, the Weavers were asked by the county to serve as directors of the children’s home just north of the Wilmington. In the five years that she served at the home, Weaver was in charge of female residents as well as dietitian and cook.

With the foster-parent program gaining wider acceptance, the children’s home closed in 1974. The state of Ohio then tapped the Weavers’ job experience to continue work with children living at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home in Xenia.

With the founding of Weaver Janitorial Services in 1978, the couple hired several young people whom they had befriended, offering critical employment and personal leadership skills to each. The business grew, adding clients in the tri-state region.

Weaver was a member of the Wilmington Church of Christ, and an active member in Eastern Star.

Many years later, her children and friends still tell stories of her infectious smile, jovial comments and excellent cooking skills.

Remembered for her love for any child or person in need, she was quick with an encouraging comment.

As a friend said, “She was a compassionate, gracious and loving woman.”

Please note that March 2 was the deadline to purchase tickets to the March 7 event, which is sponsored by the Wilmington News Journal, with generous support from First State Bank, Peoples Bank, Wilmington Savings Bank, and Wilmington College.