Lola Mary Somerville

Lola Mary Somerville, age 90, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at Robbinswood Northcrest in North Muskegon on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Lola entered this world via Duluth, Minnesota on December 6, 1933, the third of four children born to Louis J. LaFave and Leola Agnetta Beauchamp. She spent the next 89 years of her life in the Muskegon area.

Lola was an active member of Our Lady of Grace. Her faith served as the foundation for her life. On May 27, 1950, she married Virgil Levin Somerville in Muskegon Heights. Although never specifically stated, it was long held that Genesis 9:1, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”, was most likely a cherished verse. Being devout Catholics, Lola and Virgil went on to bear 8 wonderful children. But it didn’t stop there! In all, 18 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren were brought into this world. If spouses and steps are included, that’s way more than the 102 passengers on the Mayflower.

No one need ask if Lola worked or had any hobbies. Raising this large family in a modest home with one bathroom was a logistical challenge that few would attempt. While Virgil worked full time at Shaw-Walker, Lola, through sheer fortitude, kept her brood fed, clean, clothed, safe and educated. Her only escapes were a quick cup of coffee with her friends at the Town and Country Pharmacy, Friday night dinners at Aron’s White Kitchen and tending to her flower garden.

As their children became adults, attending the sporting events of Lola and Virgil’s many athletically inclined grandchildren became a full time job. Images of the couple walking across a field to a game, carrying their folding chairs, will live forever in the hearts of their family. In later years, walks around Mullally Park, trips to the casino in Manistee and an occasional fly-in fishing excursion to Canada helped fill the void left after her own children left the nest. None of these, however, held a candle to Lola’s passion for a good garage sale or providing meals for families experiencing difficult times.

Lola and Virgil were inseparable from 1949 until Virgil’s passing on October 1, 2015. She was also preceded in death by her parents, siblings Marjorie Adalaide and Aubrey Warren LaFave, Lawrence Willis and daughter-in-law Jacqueline (Kirk) Somerville. She is survived by her brother Donald Gene (Sally) LaFave and all 8 of her children; Cindy Ann (Skip) Reed, Vicky Lynn (Darryl) Bonebrake, Kay Amber (Daniel) West, Mark Gerard (Kimberly), Kirk Gerard, Lori Geralyn, Michael Gerard (Linda) and Patrick Gerard (Kathy Carpenter). The boy’s middle names honor St. Gerard, patron saint of expectant mothers and unborn children, and when you have this many kids you run out of names! She is also survived by all of her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, however, the Chronicle is not long enough to include everyone’s names!

A funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at 11am at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 239 W. Clay Ave., Muskegon, MI. There will be time to visit with family and friends for one hour before the service at the church and at the luncheon to follow next door at the old Hennessy’s Pub, 885 Jefferson St., Muskegon. Followed by a Burial at St Mary's cemetery, at 2:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Harbor Hospice. The family would like to express their deep appreciation to Harbor Hospice and Robbinswood Northcrest for the wonderful care provided to Lola.