Luella was born in the Spring of 1926 to Robert Lee Gregory and Ophelia (Vanderford) Gregory in Binger, OK. She passed away on May 8, 2014, surrounded by family. She had just celebrated her 88th birthday. Luella (known as Maggie when she was young) and her family moved from Oklahoma to Porterville, Ca in 1934. Her father leased land to farm and she worked picking cotton and grapes. Luella attended Rockford Elementary School and graduated from Porterville Union High School in 1944. After High School she moved to Fresno to attend Four C's College. Along with learning to take shorthand she remembered having instruction in how to sit properly and to serve coffee in an office setting. In 1946 she worked for the Civil Service in Pinedale and then moved to New York City to pursue her dream of independence. She told how she could not afford the dresses in the fancy shops and how she would sew them herself. She lived there until 1954 working for the New York Trust Co. on Wall Street in the steno pool. In 1955 she moved back to Porterville, CA. She met and married Donald McCully. They had two children, Donna and Michael, and moved to Fresno, CA. in 1960. Luella was a stay-at-home mom until 1968. In 1970 Don and Luella were divorced. 1973 was a truly wonderful year for Luella. That was when she met Thomas Cherry. Tom was the love of her life. They married in 1977 on board a sailboat in Florida. Her life with Tom was filled with travel and fun. When Tom passed away in 1998 Luella moved to Fresno to live with her daughter's family. Her son Michael and his family moved to Fresno from Oregon so that they could all be together. Luella was a woman who cared deeply about her family and someone who did everything with a touch of class. Luella was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Wanda Gragson; her brother-in-law, Charles Gragson; her husband, Thomas Cherry and her son, Michael McCully and his father Donald McCully. She is survived by her daughter, Donna Johnston and son-in-law, Russell Johnston; step-son, Zac Cherry and family; daughter-in-law, Sheryl Schwager; grandson, Joseph Johnston; granddaughters, Audra Johnston, Andrea McCully and Elizabeth McCully (Sr. Sophia); nephew Derek Gragson and family; and niece, Kimberly Earnshaw and family. The family will be having a private graveside burial at Vandalia Cemetery in Porterville, Ca. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you honor what was so important to Luella and find a way to help and love the people closest to you.

Published in the Fresno Bee on May 16, 2014