Lela Beth Kimble

Lela Kimble was a woman who knew how to have fun. She was a fun-loving, caring woman, who devoted her life to her family and friends. Lela was a beloved daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, and a friend to so many. More than anything, she was a woman who truly enjoyed her life, and enjoyed sharing it even more.

Lela’s story began on a cool fall day in 1918, in the little town of Paw Paw, Michigan. Those were times of trial and triumph, which saw the defeat of the Germans and their allies, and the end of World War I, which brought so much hardship to so many. On October 18, 1918, Philbrook and Gladys (Stephens) Munson had even more reason to celebrate, with the birth of a baby girl they named Lela Beth.

Lela joined her sister Phyllis in the family’s home in Mattawan, where her dad was a hardworking railroad worker, and her mother cared for the home. Lela had a good childhood, filled with plenty of fun, from going fishing to traipsing around the woods hunting mushrooms with her mother.

Lela attended Mattawan Schools and later Mattawan High, though soon she’d have more on her mind than homework and books.

One day she met a handsome young man named Garth Kimble, who lived in her neighborhood with her. Though Garth was five years older than she was, it was love at first sight for both of them, and they soon began dating. After a whirlwind romance, the happy young couple was married in 1934, when Lela was just 16.

It wasn’t long before the newlyweds became parents, as well, with the birth of their first child, Lawrence, in 1935. Over the next several years, they would celebrate six more children in their happy home, Patricia, Sally, Dixie, Elaine, Barbara and Janice.

Lela was a wonderful wife and mother, and always took great care of those around her. She was a good cook, who made her family-favorites, her homemade mac-and-cheese and fried chicken, and she could sew and knit, and made some of her kids’ clothes, too. Like so many women of her generation, Lela enjoyed growing fresh vegetables in her garden, then canning a mountain of food every fall. It wasn’t always easy putting food on the table for seven kids, but Lela was very resourceful, and they somehow made do. Lela was famous for telling people, “You look too skinny …eat!”

The family was dealt a tragic blow one day when Lela’s father was murdered while working on the railroad. He was 57 years old at the time. Lela became a source of support and care for her mother, who always tried to include her mother in their family events, and took her with them for their traditional Sunday drives. When her mom went to live in a nursing home, Lela visited her often, and brought her to their home on Sundays.

When the kids were out of the house, Lela went to work for the Greater Kalamazoo Auto Auction, as well as for the Mattawan Schools as a custodian. She was a hardworking woman, and in addition to her two jobs, she also began caring for her beloved husband, whose health had begun to decline. Garth needed to go on dialysis, and Lela lovingly cared for his for two years in their home, before he needed more care. Sadly, he died on Memorial Day in 1979.

Lela persevered, and began living her life to the fullest. She was a fun, and fun-loving woman, social and sassy, outgoing and entertaining. She loved to dance, to play cards with friends, or to head down to the Rush In Bar in Mattawan, catching up on all the local gossip! Lela enjoyed having drinks with friends, whether it was Miller Lite or Boones Farm, her drink of choice for her day trips in the country.

Lela loved having people around her, and her home was a hotbed of social activity on the weekends, from her many friends to her great family gatherings over the years. She was very close with her children and huge extended family, which swelled to include 23 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren, and even 13 great-great grandchildren!

She enjoyed going out on the town, but Lela was a homebody at heart, and preferred to have people around her at her home. She enjoyed her quiet times there, too, from playing cribbage or puzzles, or watching Country Music Television, her favorite channel. She loved country music, which was the soundtrack to her life.

Lela suffered a fall down her steps in 2003, and the doctors’ prognosis wasn’t good. Yet Lela was a very tough, strong woman, and through rehabilitation, she recovered far better than they predicted.

Eventually, though, Lela’s age progressed and her health declined. Sadly, she died on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, at the age of 89.

Lela was a wonderful woman, who lived a wonderful life, a life so full of family, friends and fond memories. She was a fun-loving, caring lady, who devoted her life to the people around her. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend, a great lady with a good life, a life we were so lucky to have shared. She will be greatly missed.

Learn more about Lela, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends on Saturday from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler & Thompson-Paw Paw 60900 M-40, 657-3870 where services will be held Monday at 2:00 PM. Food and fellowship will follow the service at the Paw Paw Eagles. She was preceded in death by her husband Garth Kimble; a daughter, Patricia Holder; two grandsons: Larry and Charles Holder; a great-grandson, Steven Nielsen; her sister, Phyllis Douglas and her brother, Steven Munson. Surviving are 6 children: Lawrence Kimble of Kalkaska; Sally (Denny) Harrison of Republic; Dixie (Art) Saxton of Mattawan; Elaine (William) Quan of Lawton; Barbara (Butch) Lounsbery of Mattawan; and Janice (Rush) Harrison of Kalamazoo; 23 grandchildren; 49 great-grandchildren; and 13 great-great-grandchildren. Please visit Lela’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can share a memory or photo of her, sign her memory book online, or make a memorial contribution to Hospice of Southwest Michigan.