Lorna L Ogden

Lorna Lucas Ogden, 90, passed away Saturday, January 29, 2011 at her home in Houston, Texas. Born Dec. 15, 1920 to Walter Thornton Lucas and Clara Frances Rush Lucas in Rupert, Idaho, Lorna was raised in Idaho and Beaumont, Texas. She graduated from Beaumont High School and Lamar College, receiving the Outstanding Music Student award her senior year at Lamar -- in spite of her nickname, “Squeaky,” variously attributed to her violin technique, her high-pitched laugh, and her caustic tongue. She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin in 1942.

In the spring of 1944, Lorna was engaged to Lt. William Wesley Ogden, Jr., United States Navy, whom she met on a blind date. In announcing her engagement, The Beaumont Enterprise described Lorna as “one of the popular members of the post college set.” She and Wes had considered getting married prior to his deployment in the Navy during World War II. Wes had decided to wait until after the war, until his sister, Evelyn, reminded him: “There are two of you. What does Lorna think?” It was, the family remembers, the last time anyone had to ask what Lorna thought. They were married on May 20, 1944 in Christ Church Cathedral in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, very shortly before Wes shipped out to the Pacific on the U.S.S. Guam. Lorna was greeted upon her arrival in the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Philadelphia with flowers and a note: “Welcome to Philly! Make yourself at home, take things easy, and try to save a date for me this p.m. Love, Wes”. Their wedding commenced without ceremony or family; when they turned to walk back down the aisle, the historic church was half filled with tourists, prompting Wes to remark, “Let’s pass the collection plate!”

They were good for each other always.

After the War, Wes rejoined Shell Oil Company, and Wes and Lorna were loyal members of the extended Shell family for 40 years. Daughter Carol was born in Alma, Oklahoma in 1947 when Wes was on a seismic crew. Daughter Jane was born in Austin, Texas in 1949 when Wes was in midcontinent exploration stationed in Calgary, Canada. Son Bill was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1952 when Wes was working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Later stints with Shell included Jackson, Mississippi, a tour in The Hague, where all the children learned, and later forgot, the Dutch language, Midland, Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas, Houston, Texas, and a 2 year tour in Australia after all the kids left for college.

All along the way, Wes and Lorna shared and grew an eclectic mix of interests: panning for gold in Australia, golfing the world over, hiking and four-wheeling in the Rocky Mountains, reading about anything and everything, travelling from Australia to Thailand, Spain to Turkey, with their extended Turkish Family, the Cerits of Istanbul. Lorna was a lifelong believer in education. She put her faith in action by teaching whenever they were stateside, working as an English or government teacher in Midland, Corpus Christi, and the Houston Independent School District, where she taught English at Black Junior High in the late 1960s.

After Wes retired from Shell, he and Lorna built a retirement home in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, which was quickly overrun by children and grandchildren. Lorna continued her annual summer pilgrimage to Pagosa Springs for some 15 years after Wes’ death in 1989. She was active in the Pagosa Chamber of Commerce, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, and local four-wheeler, bridge and golfing groups. She was a devoted mountain hiker, a decent four-wheel passenger—until she reminded people why she had been nicknamed “Squeaky”—and an absolutely horrible downhill skier. Shocked ski instructors were appalled when her grandchildren calmly referred to the lift as “that damn chair lift,” delivered in a rapid, squeaky tone, which is, of course, how they learned to pronounce it from Grandma.

Lorna was a lifetime member of the Episcopal Church, affiliated with St. James in Jackson Mississippi, Holy Trinity in Midland, Texas, St. Patrick’s in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and Holy Spirit and St. Francis in Houston, Texas. She leaves behind many dear friends at St. Francis, the St. Francis choir, the Elizabeth Guild and the Buckingham and her several bridge clubs, book clubs and investment clubs.

Lorna was preceded in death by husband, Wes, in April 1989. She is survived by three children and eleven grandchildren: daughter Carol Hertz and husband, Stephen, of Leesburg, Va., and their five children: Jane Elizabeth Holman and her husband, Dave, William Logan Hertz, Julian Thornton Hertz, Stephen Michael Hertz and Caroline Andree Hertz; daughter Dr. Jane Elizabeth Ogden and husband, Al Davis, of Marshall, Texas and their two children: Lucas Ogden-Davis and his fiancé, Kim Lord, and Joshua Ogden-Davis; and son William W. (Bill) Ogden and wife, Laura Gibson, of Houston, Texas and their four children: Capt. Wesley R. Ogden, USMC, Sheila Corrigan Ogden, Kelly Corrigan Ogden, their mother, Mary Corrigan Ogden, and Christine Michele Laas. Lorna’s first great grandchild is expected to arrive on March 6, 2011.

She was a great lady, wife, friend, gadfly, sounding board, and mom. As her wonderful caregivers at The Buckingham will attest, she was a vocal and lousy patient; but she was the best Grandma in the world. As a child of the Depression, she never coddled anyone, but her grandchildren always knew they were loved unconditionally. When they acted up, her verdict was swift: “Go soak your head!” But when they were dejected, she always supported them with: “Do you need a little help from your friends?”

Well, she’s both provided and received a tremendous amount of help from her friends. Now we need your help in celebrating her life. All friends are cordially invited to a Memorial service in honor of Lorna, our great lady, at 11:00 a.m. this Friday, February 4, 2011, at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 345 Piney Point Road, Houston, Texas 77024. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lorna’s memory may be made to Memorial Assistance Ministries, 1625 Blalock Road, Houston 77080, www.maministries.org, or Lord of the Streets, 3401 Fannin, Houston 77004, www.lordofthestreets.org.