Lucille McNamara

Lucille was born in Chisago City, MN on April 22, 1918, to farmers John and Alice Wedell. After a very long and rewarding life she died April 3, 2019, just 19 days short of 101 years. She was the eldest female in a family of five children. Preceded in death by her parents, three siblings, and her husband, John. Survived by brother Burton Wedell, his children and grandchildren; daughter Sharon Colleen McNamara Ehlen; daughter Karen L. Grossman; son Michael J. McNamara (Cathy); daughter Kathleen A. McNamara; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Lucille came of age during the Great Depression and like so many of that “Greatest Generation” worked exceptionally hard to provide a good life for herself and her family, raising four children alone, all of whom obtained college degrees. As a child and teenager, she was a second mother to three younger siblings and helped her mother run the family household while also helping with the field work of the farm. At age 15, in the midst of the Great Depression and in order to reduce living costs for the family, her parents arranged for her to live with a family in Forest Lake, MN, to act as their housemaid while she finished high school. Upon graduation from Forest Lake High School her parents took her to St. Paul, where they had arranged for her to share an apartment with others and essentially to find her own way in life. She did so and with remarkable results, attending the Minnesota School of Business and achieving manager-level positions in the Credit Departments of two medical organizations while working well into her 80s. She was so valued her last employer asked her to return from retirement to oversee credit operations in an affiliated location outside the Twin Cities. Her greatest joys were spending time with her family and bragging about its members to all she spoke to. She had fond memories of times spent with her family and the families of her brothers at her parents’ farm, where she became beloved by them as well. Although her health declined significantly in her later years and she required help for daily living, she endeared herself to the care staff where she lived. She will be sorely missed by them, by her family, and by all who came to know her well. A private remembrance will be held by her immediate family members.

Tributes

Lucille McNamara

April 22, 1918 - April 3, 2019

Tributes

Lucille McNamara

April 22, 1918 - April 3, 2019

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