Wife of Joe, sister to James and Gene. An exceptionally kind and patient woman, she was affectionately known as "Aunt Lucy" to almost everyone her junior, whether she was related to them or not. She was a retired seamstress, having been an affiliated member of ILGWU and local chapter of AARP. She enjoyed traveling, fishing, beachcombing and sightseeing, although she often was most contented spending quiet evenings at home watching Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett, Lawrence Welk, the Osmonds and other variety entertainment TV shows with her husband and close family members.
She was born in Delaware, although most of her early years were spent with her parents and older brother, James on a small farm in Urbanna, Virginia. When she was still a young teenager her parents divorced, with James relocating with their mother to Michigan while Lucy remained with her father.
Meanwhile Lucy learned to be quite proficient and self-reliant at a relatively young age. Following completion of her education but while she was still fairly young, she met and married a man by the name of James Ware. While he was quite attractive and socially popular, unfortunately he proved somewhat immature emotionally and spiritually, and failed to take the marriage committment very seriously. Sometime during their 30's they were divorced, and Lucy later met and married Joseph Prchal, a divorced military veteran, in 1952. This match would prove lasting as they both respected and complemented each others' interests, talents and abilities.
She always took uncommonly great pride in her home, yard and garden, azaleas and pansies being among her favorite flowers. She also enjoyed feeding the rabbits and squirrels which congregated around the large oak tree in her backyard -- that is, until they unwisely became noisy and demanding, scaling and relieving themselves on her back porch storm door screens to try and get her attention, pressing her patience to its limits. From then on they had to find their own peanuts and other treats.
She and her husband were childless; but it seemed to give them as a married couple that much more patience and generosity towards others' children, whether it was vacation trips with their own extended family or playing Santa Claus for the local neighbors. The warmer seasons were always looked forward to on their relatively quiet suburban street, as they brought the inevitable family picnics and cookouts, with plenty of Uncle Joe's trademark juicy hamburgers, watermelon and endless supplies of frozen flavored popsicles for the kids to beat the summer heat.
One by one, the nieces, nephews and neighbors' children all grew up to adulthood and their lives settled down to a more sedate pace. After they both retired from their respective professions, they went on a series of cross-country bus tours that took them as far away as the Grand Canyon in Colorado -- things they never quite had time or resources for when they were both busy working.
Following her husband's passing in the spring of 1995, Lucy became noticeably more reluctant to leave home for even short extended or overnight trips, stressing to her family the necessity of maintaining her downstairs furnace in the winter, and keeping the yard grass properly trimmed (just *so*) in the summer. As she and Joe had never adopted any pets during their marriage due to their need for alternate care arrangements while traveling, her relatives sometimes humorously kidded her about her 'pet furnace' and the 'pet lawn'.
Good natured as she always was, she seemed to find it even more comical than those doing the teasing! As time went on and she began to repeat herself more often during conversations, it was easy to make small talk around, "How's the furnace doing?" or "Have you gotten any rain lately?" and off she would go talking about her front yard. They were her two most often referenced topics of discussion, and so the family amusedly played along as long as it kept her happy.
Aunt Lucy had always been exceptionally healthy during the majority of her lifetime, perhaps more due to positive lifestyle habits acquired while still young than genetics. Despite heart surgery during her latter years and some other related medical problems, she outlived her parents, all her siblings and her husband to the ripe old age of 90! She was a very exceptional lady in many ways, missed by many and will never be forgotten. †
She was born in Delaware, although most of her early years were spent with her parents and older brother, James on a small farm in Urbanna, Virginia. When she was still a young teenager her parents divorced, with James relocating with their mother to Michigan while Lucy remained with her father.
Meanwhile Lucy learned to be quite proficient and self-reliant at a relatively young age. Following completion of her education but while she was still fairly young, she met and married a man by the name of James Ware. While he was quite attractive and socially popular, unfortunately he proved somewhat immature emotionally and spiritually, and failed to take the marriage committment very seriously. Sometime during their 30's they were divorced, and Lucy later met and married Joseph Prchal, a divorced military veteran, in 1952. This match would prove lasting as they both respected and complemented each others' interests, talents and abilities.
She always took uncommonly great pride in her home, yard and garden, azaleas and pansies being among her favorite flowers. She also enjoyed feeding the rabbits and squirrels which congregated around the large oak tree in her backyard -- that is, until they unwisely became noisy and demanding, scaling and relieving themselves on her back porch storm door screens to try and get her attention, pressing her patience to its limits. From then on they had to find their own peanuts and other treats.
She and her husband were childless; but it seemed to give them as a married couple that much more patience and generosity towards others' children, whether it was vacation trips with their own extended family or playing Santa Claus for the local neighbors. The warmer seasons were always looked forward to on their relatively quiet suburban street, as they brought the inevitable family picnics and cookouts, with plenty of Uncle Joe's trademark juicy hamburgers, watermelon and endless supplies of frozen flavored popsicles for the kids to beat the summer heat.
One by one, the nieces, nephews and neighbors' children all grew up to adulthood and their lives settled down to a more sedate pace. After they both retired from their respective professions, they went on a series of cross-country bus tours that took them as far away as the Grand Canyon in Colorado -- things they never quite had time or resources for when they were both busy working.
Following her husband's passing in the spring of 1995, Lucy became noticeably more reluctant to leave home for even short extended or overnight trips, stressing to her family the necessity of maintaining her downstairs furnace in the winter, and keeping the yard grass properly trimmed (just *so*) in the summer. As she and Joe had never adopted any pets during their marriage due to their need for alternate care arrangements while traveling, her relatives sometimes humorously kidded her about her 'pet furnace' and the 'pet lawn'.
Good natured as she always was, she seemed to find it even more comical than those doing the teasing! As time went on and she began to repeat herself more often during conversations, it was easy to make small talk around, "How's the furnace doing?" or "Have you gotten any rain lately?" and off she would go talking about her front yard. They were her two most often referenced topics of discussion, and so the family amusedly played along as long as it kept her happy.
Aunt Lucy had always been exceptionally healthy during the majority of her lifetime, perhaps more due to positive lifestyle habits acquired while still young than genetics. Despite heart surgery during her latter years and some other related medical problems, she outlived her parents, all her siblings and her husband to the ripe old age of 90! She was a very exceptional lady in many ways, missed by many and will never be forgotten. †
Wife of Joe, sister to James and Gene. An exceptionally kind and patient woman, she was affectionately known as "Aunt Lucy" to almost everyone her junior, whether she was related to them or not. She was a retired seamstress, having been an affiliated member of ILGWU and local chapter of AARP. She enjoyed traveling, fishing, beachcombing and sightseeing, although she often was most contented spending quiet evenings at home watching Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett, Lawrence Welk, the Osmonds and other variety entertainment TV shows with her husband and close family members.
She was born in Delaware, although most of her early years were spent with her parents and older brother, James on a small farm in Urbanna, Virginia. When she was still a young teenager her parents divorced, with James relocating with their mother to Michigan while Lucy remained with her father.
Meanwhile Lucy learned to be quite proficient and self-reliant at a relatively young age. Following completion of her education but while she was still fairly young, she met and married a man by the name of James Ware. While he was quite attractive and socially popular, unfortunately he proved somewhat immature emotionally and spiritually, and failed to take the marriage committment very seriously. Sometime during their 30's they were divorced, and Lucy later met and married Joseph Prchal, a divorced military veteran, in 1952. This match would prove lasting as they both respected and complemented each others' interests, talents and abilities.
She always took uncommonly great pride in her home, yard and garden, azaleas and pansies being among her favorite flowers. She also enjoyed feeding the rabbits and squirrels which congregated around the large oak tree in her backyard -- that is, until they unwisely became noisy and demanding, scaling and relieving themselves on her back porch storm door screens to try and get her attention, pressing her patience to its limits. From then on they had to find their own peanuts and other treats.
She and her husband were childless; but it seemed to give them as a married couple that much more patience and generosity towards others' children, whether it was vacation trips with their own extended family or playing Santa Claus for the local neighbors. The warmer seasons were always looked forward to on their relatively quiet suburban street, as they brought the inevitable family picnics and cookouts, with plenty of Uncle Joe's trademark juicy hamburgers, watermelon and endless supplies of frozen flavored popsicles for the kids to beat the summer heat.
One by one, the nieces, nephews and neighbors' children all grew up to adulthood and their lives settled down to a more sedate pace. After they both retired from their respective professions, they went on a series of cross-country bus tours that took them as far away as the Grand Canyon in Colorado -- things they never quite had time or resources for when they were both busy working.
Following her husband's passing in the spring of 1995, Lucy became noticeably more reluctant to leave home for even short extended or overnight trips, stressing to her family the necessity of maintaining her downstairs furnace in the winter, and keeping the yard grass properly trimmed (just *so*) in the summer. As she and Joe had never adopted any pets during their marriage due to their need for alternate care arrangements while traveling, her relatives sometimes humorously kidded her about her 'pet furnace' and the 'pet lawn'.
Good natured as she always was, she seemed to find it even more comical than those doing the teasing! As time went on and she began to repeat herself more often during conversations, it was easy to make small talk around, "How's the furnace doing?" or "Have you gotten any rain lately?" and off she would go talking about her front yard. They were her two most often referenced topics of discussion, and so the family amusedly played along as long as it kept her happy.
Aunt Lucy had always been exceptionally healthy during the majority of her lifetime, perhaps more due to positive lifestyle habits acquired while still young than genetics. Despite heart surgery during her latter years and some other related medical problems, she outlived her parents, all her siblings and her husband to the ripe old age of 90! She was a very exceptional lady in many ways, missed by many and will never be forgotten. †
She was born in Delaware, although most of her early years were spent with her parents and older brother, James on a small farm in Urbanna, Virginia. When she was still a young teenager her parents divorced, with James relocating with their mother to Michigan while Lucy remained with her father.
Meanwhile Lucy learned to be quite proficient and self-reliant at a relatively young age. Following completion of her education but while she was still fairly young, she met and married a man by the name of James Ware. While he was quite attractive and socially popular, unfortunately he proved somewhat immature emotionally and spiritually, and failed to take the marriage committment very seriously. Sometime during their 30's they were divorced, and Lucy later met and married Joseph Prchal, a divorced military veteran, in 1952. This match would prove lasting as they both respected and complemented each others' interests, talents and abilities.
She always took uncommonly great pride in her home, yard and garden, azaleas and pansies being among her favorite flowers. She also enjoyed feeding the rabbits and squirrels which congregated around the large oak tree in her backyard -- that is, until they unwisely became noisy and demanding, scaling and relieving themselves on her back porch storm door screens to try and get her attention, pressing her patience to its limits. From then on they had to find their own peanuts and other treats.
She and her husband were childless; but it seemed to give them as a married couple that much more patience and generosity towards others' children, whether it was vacation trips with their own extended family or playing Santa Claus for the local neighbors. The warmer seasons were always looked forward to on their relatively quiet suburban street, as they brought the inevitable family picnics and cookouts, with plenty of Uncle Joe's trademark juicy hamburgers, watermelon and endless supplies of frozen flavored popsicles for the kids to beat the summer heat.
One by one, the nieces, nephews and neighbors' children all grew up to adulthood and their lives settled down to a more sedate pace. After they both retired from their respective professions, they went on a series of cross-country bus tours that took them as far away as the Grand Canyon in Colorado -- things they never quite had time or resources for when they were both busy working.
Following her husband's passing in the spring of 1995, Lucy became noticeably more reluctant to leave home for even short extended or overnight trips, stressing to her family the necessity of maintaining her downstairs furnace in the winter, and keeping the yard grass properly trimmed (just *so*) in the summer. As she and Joe had never adopted any pets during their marriage due to their need for alternate care arrangements while traveling, her relatives sometimes humorously kidded her about her 'pet furnace' and the 'pet lawn'.
Good natured as she always was, she seemed to find it even more comical than those doing the teasing! As time went on and she began to repeat herself more often during conversations, it was easy to make small talk around, "How's the furnace doing?" or "Have you gotten any rain lately?" and off she would go talking about her front yard. They were her two most often referenced topics of discussion, and so the family amusedly played along as long as it kept her happy.
Aunt Lucy had always been exceptionally healthy during the majority of her lifetime, perhaps more due to positive lifestyle habits acquired while still young than genetics. Despite heart surgery during her latter years and some other related medical problems, she outlived her parents, all her siblings and her husband to the ripe old age of 90! She was a very exceptional lady in many ways, missed by many and will never be forgotten. †
Gravesite Details
Not sure how/when/by whom the crucifix was commissioned. Lucy was of the Lutheran faith.
