Catherine L. Ellison

June 10, 2010

Catherine Lucille (Boelsen) Ellison, 95, passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 10, 2010, with family by her side. She was born in a farmhouse on Dec 22, 1914, at Miami Station, Missouri to Louis T. and Helen C. Boelsen. Known as “Lucille” by her family and friends, she was the first child born into the Louis Boelsen family in the rural farmland of northwest Missouri. All of the years of her childhood and youth were spent on the farms in Carroll County, Missouri, living most of the time on the family farm about five miles outside of Hale, Missouri.

After graduating from Hale High School, Lucille attended William Woods College, where she studied home economics and education. She graduated in 1935 and moved back to the family farm and began teaching elementary grades at Hale School, a one-room schoolhouse. In April 1941, Lucille married Irvin Ellison, who was also a school teacher, administrator and coach. She continued to teach in elementary schools in Hale, Avalon, Deepwater, Gilman City and Norborne, Missouri, where they raised their three children.

In 1958, Irvin and Lucille, with their three children Barbara, Robert and Richard, moved to sunny California for the hope and opportunity of the West Coast. They started Coast Appliance Parts in partnership with Leonard and Volly Ellison, Irvin’s brother and sister-in-law. Lucille served as the corporate secretary, bookkeeper and partner in the company. For the next 25 years, they built the company into a successful business expanding throughout Southern California, eventually selling the company in the early 1980s. They retired and continued to live in Northridge, California.

Lucille had a lifetime of commitment and involvement with her church and PEO International. She will be remembered by all as a faithful Christian servant, a loyal friend, loving caregiver and an intelligent businesswoman, all traits she maintained throughout her life. She had a wonderful sense of humor, genuine concern for others and an infectious laugh that could brighten the day for those around her.

Lucille is survived by her children Barbara Johanson of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania; Robert (Toni) of North Hills, California; and Richard of Chico, California; grandchildren Samantha (David) Zeiders, Nathaniel (Kristen) Johanson and Andrew Johanson; and great-grandchildren Dylan Zeiders and Logan Zeiders. Lucille was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her sister Marjorie Ellwein. She is fondly remembered by many family, neighbors and friends, whose lives she touched with her warmth and generosity.

Arrangements were under the direction of Bastian & Perrott, Oswald Mortuary, Northridge, CA. A memorial service was held June 15, 2010 in Northridge, California, with burial at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, California. Online condolences may be left at www.mem.com