03/13/2026
Frances Marlene Lee passed away peacefully on March 13, 2026, at Cottingham Retirement Community in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 94. The daughter of Ruth and Glenn Lee, and known by her middle name, Marlene led a fascinating and full life. She is survived by five of her seven children, seven of her eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Frances was born in Covington, Kentucky, and spent her Depression-era childhood in a boarding house in Latonia, Kentucky, run by her grandmother and mother. She loved playing with her beloved brother Dickie and her dog Skippy. A stellar student at Holmes High School, she remained in touch with many of her high school friends into their eighties. As a child she attended church on Sundays and Wednesdays, and although she later explored various spiritual and esoteric communities, she remained a Christian at heart and found great solace in the Bible. A favorite verse of hers was: "You will know them by their fruit."
At age 19, Marlene married Roland Hermes, with whom she had three children: Julia Hermes (Melody Kozlok), the late Bruce Hermes, and the late Susan Hermes. After their divorce, she married WNOP radio personality Dick Pike, with whom she had four children: Matthew Pike (Joan Pike), Andrew Pike (Ukcha Pike), Laura Pike, and Amanda Pike Cobble (Lloyd Cobble). In the 1960s, their nine-member family lived in the North Avondale neighborhood of central Cincinnati and hosted many lively parties, often attended by jazz musicians and fans. Marlene's grandchildren are Correna Starbuck, Paisley Starbuck, Andrea Hermes, Caitlin Pike, the late William Pike, Amelia Pike, Ben Cobble and Lucy Cobble. Her great-grandchildren are Arlo Erickson, Jasper Hammonds, Zuri Starbuck and Vivian Kohout Pike.
After divorcing Pike in the early 1970s, Marlene fulfilled her dream of moving to New England. While living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she saved money to buy a cottage in Camden, Maine, a small coastal town where she lived from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. Upon reaching retirement age, she returned to her native Kentucky, living in a cabin in a rural southern county and raising animals, including a pig, a duck, and cats and dogs.
In the 1990s, Marlene moved back to the Cincinnati area to be closer to her children. Beginning in 2013, she lived in a series of senior communities. The hardiness of her health astonished her family and caregivers. In a reversal of the usual trajectory, she moved from a nursing home into an assisted living facility. More remarkably, she was "fired" from hospice services in her early nineties because her health improved instead of declined. Hospice of Cincinnati returned in early 2026 to support her final transition. Marlene deeply appreciated their loving companionship and care, and she and her family credit the service with helping ensure a happy and peaceful quality of life to the very end.
Marlene was a voracious reader, often finishing a book a day while working full time and raising multiple children. An open-minded autodidact, she was particularly drawn to the esoteric "Fourth Way" teachings of George Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky. A steadfast progressive, Marlene was a lifelong advocate for civil rights, immigrants' rights, and feminism.
Marlene also had a notable talent for interior design, creating beautiful and distinctive home environments wherever she lived. Gregarious and warm, she cultivated many friendships and kept in touch with friends for decades.
No memorial service has yet been planned.
Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Covington (Latonia), KY 41015 is serving the family. Online condolences may be expressed at www.connleybrothersfuneralhome.com
