Lola Clarkson

Lola Clarkson was an extraordinary woman with never-ending energy and a great love for life. Whether she was working, raising her children, spoiling her grandchildren or traveling the world, Lola put her heart into all that she did.

Under the leadership of President Warren G. Harding, America entered into the 1920s with confidence. The politics of the time were as turbulent as ever, yet industry made the U.S. economy surge. Herbert Ellard and his wife, Ada (Cray), were far removed from these things that characterized the 1920s. They lived a modest life on their farm in Mattawan, Michigan. Already the proud parents of five children, on May 14, 1922, the couple welcomed the birth of their daughter, Lola. The Ellard family would eventually be a bustling household with twelve children.

Along with her siblings, Lola grew up in Mattawan, where her father worked as a farmer while her mother tended to the needs of the family. For fun, Lola remembered going to a little movie theatre in Schoolcraft when she was a kid. As a young adult, she moved to South Portage, where she worked picking strawberries. Then, like her sisters, she went to work in the paper mill for a while, before taking a job at Shakespeare. It was around this time that Lola met her first husband, Henry Dumonceaux, and they just loved to go dancing together. The couple soon fell in love and eloped to Montpelier, Ohio, where they were married on June 8, 1940. The newlyweds made their first home together in a house they built on Shakespeare off of Lake Street, and here they raised their two wonderful daughters, Judy and Nan. After fourteen years of marriage, Lola and Henry divorced in 1954.

Lola was completely devoted to her children, and she spent her life balancing work with being a loving mother to her daughters. In later years, when she was blessed with grandchildren, Lola poured the same amount of love into these relationships as she did with her own daughters. She enjoyed taking her grandkids on day trips to the Detroit zoo, and every Christmas and Easter, you can bet her house was decorated from top to bottom for their family festivities. Lola's family liked to tease her because when they would get together, she would get everyone's names mixed up. So, one year, the family wore name tags, which Lola got a real kick out of.

For a long time, Lola was an avid bowler, and it was at a bowling alley and bar that she met her second husband, Duncan Clarkson. The two were married on July 19, 1965. The couple loved to travel together, and had been all over the U.S. as well as to Italy, where they were audience of the Pope. Duncan was a real shutter bug and took his 8 mm camera everywhere they went, filming their latest adventure. Tragically, Duncan died in a car accident in 1977. Not long after losing Duncan, Lola moved to Augusta, Georgia, and had a home built in Goshen Plantation. Here she enjoyed filling her leisure time with one of her favorite pastimes - golfing. In fact, Lola attended a Master's Golf Tournament down there, which she absolutely loved. After about five years, Lola packed up and moved to a condo in Clearwater, Florida, and went to work as a Sales Associate at JCPenney, a job she was well fitted for with her natural sales personality. In 1992, Lola made one last move back to Kalamazoo to be near her family.

Back in Kalamazoo, Lola had many interests to keep her busy. Of course, she still had her love for golf and bowling, but she also enjoyed just curling up with a good romance novel whenever possible. Lola was an avid reader of the daily newspaper and religiously watched the news, Wheel of Fortune and Matlock. If someone called while she was watching her favorite show, she would answer, "having supper with Pat and Vanna." Lola was known to be a real "pack rat", mostly of clothes and jewelry, but it wasn't collectibles, it was simply stuff. Lola was a good cook and her family loved her cabbage rolls. Lola just enjoyed the simple pleasures in life - cheap lite beer and white wine. A genuine host, she was great at entertaining, especially when it came to her family, and she never missed a birthday or family gathering. She would pop in the house saying, "I was just in the neighborhood." Lola was also a long time member of the Elks Lodge in Farmington Hill.

Proudly, Lola was the first member of her family to live past 65, and was even more looking forward to being 85. Unfortunately, Lola died of congestive heart failure just two months shy of reaching her goal. However, Lola lived a full and happy life, and she will be forever remembered by the family she loved so dearly.

Lola I. Clarkson of Kalamazoo, MI, died March 21, 2007, at her home. Learn more about Lola, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends on Sunday, March 25, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the LIFE STORY FUNERAL HOME, Betzler- Kalamazoo, 375-2900, where services will be held on Monday, March 26, at 11:00 a.m. Following the service, food and fellowship will be shared at the Portage Moose Lodge #350.

Lola was preceded in death by her first husband, Henry J. Dumonceaux; second husband, Duncan B. Clarkson; her daughter, Judy D. Crowell; and ten siblings. Members of her family include her daughter, Nan (David) Morton of Schoolcraft; four grandchildren: Carrie (Michael) Rhodes of Mattawan, Craig (Colleen) Cummins of Kalamazoo, Stephanie (Randy) Dailey of Lawton and Angela (John) Martin of Portage; ten great grandchildren: Jason, Ashley, Courtney, Chelsea, Calvin, Kaitlyn, Cody, Drew, Jacob and Emily; three great great grandsons: Corey, Jackson and Keyon; three siblings: Harold "Bud" (Mary) Ellard of Mattawan, Arlene Pierce and Bonny Reger both of Kalamazoo; and many nieces and nephews. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a favorite memory or photo of Lola or sign her online guest book.