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Tulane Bouch Mensore, 86, of New Martinsville, West Virginia peacefully passed away on August 23, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Tulane faced her diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer eight years ago with the strength and grace with which she lived all aspects of her remarkable life.
Tulane was born on February 2, 1940, in Weston, West Virginia as the beloved only child of Russel Edward Bouch and Lavaughn Finster Bouch. Her parents raised her in Glenville, West Virginia to value education, and she excelled academically and in leadership roles throughout her school years. Although she grew up in a time of limited career options for women, she decided she wanted to become a lawyer during high school, and her parents wholeheartedly supported her.
She graduated with a degree in Political Science from West Virginia University in 1961 and was the Outstanding Woman in Student Government during her senior year. More precious to her than any awards were the lifelong friendships she forged with her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters.
After earning her undergraduate degree, Tulane entered the WVU College of Law where she was the only woman in her class and in the class above her. She endured comments from some professors and classmates about how she would be taking a job away from a man if she became a lawyer, and persevered. One day in the library, she met her future husband John Mensore, a fun-loving second-year law student who volunteered to help her with her Remedies class. Her calm and competent demeanor complemented John's outgoing personality and big-picture goals. After she graduated with her law degree in 1964, she and John embarked upon a loving marriage of almost 62 years that produced four children and seven grandchildren who adored her.
John and Tulane moved to John's hometown of New Martinsville, and they established Mensore and Mensore Law Offices. Tulane practiced at the firm for almost 40 years. She focused her practice on estate planning, probate, real estate, and corporate law, as well as occasional family law cases, including adoptions, which were especially meaningful to her. She was a meticulous and caring lawyer who treated her clients and all she knew with respect and kindness.
Tulane parlayed her legal skills into serving as the Secretary- Treasurer for her family's wholesale beer distributorship, J.C. Mensore Distributor, Inc., and was the former attorney and general manager of Shiben Estates, Inc., a family corporation known for local property holdings. She also served on the boards of Progressive Bank, Bank One, First National Bank, and Wetzel County Hospital, and chaired the finance committee at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church where she provided pro bono legal work to the parish and priest. She held leadership and advisory positions for local organizations, including the Quota Club, Civic League, Florence Crittenton, and the Ming Twig Hospital Auxiliary. She also was a charter member of the Irvin Stewart Society for endowments at WVU, and she and her husband established the John J. and Tulane B. Mensore Scholarship for students attending Wheeling University. She was especially proud of her work with the establishment of the Women's Giving Circle for the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley,
Although her professional success and community service were impressive, Tulane's greatest passion was her family. She offered the wisest counsel and was the person upon whom everyone relied. Her family all would say she was the person they admired most, and she filled their lives with love and acceptance. She took joy in creating beauty in her surroundings and was always elegant in her dress and presentation. She delighted in travel, but her favorite place was being with her family and enjoying her backyard view of the West Virginia hills. Without complaint, she tried every option to live longer for her family after her cancer diagnosis, and her spirit will live within them forever.
Tulane was preceded in death by her parents, Russel and Lavaughn Bouch. She is survived by her husband John Joseph Mensore of New Martinsville; four children, Michelle Tulane Mensore Condon and her husband Irvin of Charleston, SC and their son Joseph Tulane; John Charles Mensore II and his wife Trisha of New Martinsville, WV and their children, Olivia, Sam, and John David (J.D.); Nicole Tulane Mensore Robertson and her husband Martin of Boca Raton, FL and their sons Joseph and James; and Edward Russel Mensore and his wife Anaitte of Atlanta, GA and their son Luca. Other survivors are her sister-in-law Esta Mensore McCall of Palm Beach Gardens, FL and niece Katherine Garner of Jupiter, FL, as well as two great-nieces and several cousins.
The family will receive friends on Friday, August 28, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Jarvis-Williams Funeral Home, 1224 S. Bridge Street, New Martinsville, WV. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, August 29, at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 21 Rosary Road, New Martinsville, WV. Burial to follow in Northview Cemetery in New Martinsville, WV.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Women's Giving Circle for the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley to benefit women and children of Wetzel County (https://cfov. org/womens-giving-circle/), the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry (http:// svdpnm.org/), or to Cleveland Clinic Catalyst Grants for cancer research (https: //myclevelandclinic.org).