Sallee Maureen Fry passed away surrounded by family at home at the age of 59 on Sunday, May 29, 2022. She was born on February 12, 1963 in Alma, Michigan to Maurice (Morrie) and Marilyn Fry, and spent much of her adolescence moving around for Morrie's job. She landed in Cincinnati, OH at the age of 15 where she graduated from Anderson High School. She remained in Cincinnati for the remainder of her adulthood. She is survived by her husband, Brian Emch and her children, Baylee Waterman and Logan (Kyle) Mueller, stepson Henry Emch, grandchildren, Liam and Silas Letzler, mother Marilyn Fry, and siblings Randy (Nancy) Fry and Laurie (Steve) Davis. She is preceded in death by daughter, Lexis Waterman, father, Maurice Fry, and sister, Kathy Fry. She was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had metastasized in her liver in October of 2021 and she spent the last 8 months of her life fighting like the absolute warrior she had always been.

Sallee truly was a magical, one of a kind woman, all you needed was one look at her infectious smile to know that. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, colleague, friend, mentor, lawyer and so much more. She loved everyone around her so incredibly well, including her dog, Jackson Browne and sometimes her cat, Pluto. Her marriage to Brian Emch was a source of joy to them both. Sallee literally danced down the aisle on her wedding day. They were married in 2019 and had three blissful years of marriage.

Sallee was a determined person. She was told by a high school guidance counselor that she should buckle down on her home economics classes because she wasn't cut out for college. She then went on to get her bachelor's degree, followed by a masters (graduating Cum Laude), and topped it off with a law degree from NKU Chase College of Law. It was a mistake to underestimate Sallee. She has passed this determination on to her daughters. She was a fantastic gardener (her yard speaks volumes to this), avid music lover (ranging from The Who to Alicia Keys to Leon Bridges), truth teller (you didn't go to her if you didn't want to hear the truth), and gospel sharer (she loved Jesus a whole lot). She was a well-respected domestic relations attorney (leading and trail blazing efforts for the LGBTQ+ community including a precedent setting Ohio Supreme Court case), yet remained humble. She took pride in her guardian ad litem work, but she would tell you her greatest accomplishments were her children and her relationships with her husband and friends. 

Visitation will be held on Saturday, June 4 from 10-10:45 a.m., with a Celebration of Life to follow at 11am at Crossroads Church, 3500 Madison Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45209 (Oakley site). A reception will be held immediately following. Enter through West Side doors (side facing Kroger). 

In lieu of flowers, she asked for donations to places that meant the most to her: Fresh Start Shower Ministry - Florence Christian Church  (https://florencechristian.org/ministries/service/shower-ministry/) or PanCan (https://www.pancan.org/)