Lulu was born at Oak City, Utah, August 30, 1900. She was the 6th daughter and 9th child of John Edmund and Harriet Jane Lyman Lovell. In appearance, Lulu resembled her father and her blond Danish grandmother. She was medium tall, had rather large bones, never was heavy, and had reddish-blond hair

Early in her life Lulu developed heart trouble. The doctor ordered her mother to keep her in bed to relieve the heart strain by rest and quiet. This meant she missed a good deal of school. But Lulu was too ambitious and full of nervous energy to keep still very long.

She only went through grades 1-4 and then part of grade 5. She missed quite a bit of school because of illness. But she taught herself and was knowledgeable in quite a few fields. She was good at spelling, writing and mathematics. Anyone playing a game of Scrabble with her would never doubt her intelligence or ability.

At an early age her independence showed itself in the pride with which she earned her own money to buy shoes and other clothing. During the first World War, she helped raise vegetables and fruit and sold them to buy thrift stamps at 25 cents per stamp. She also bought Liberty bonds, even though she was still just a young girl.

Outdoor games she played were "Run Sheep Run", "Beary Beary's not out tonight", and "Steal Sticks". Indoor games she liked were Rook, Marble Board, Chinese Checkers and Crocano and also Scrabble (she was a very good speller).

Her life of service to others started when her sister, Mamie, was left a widow. Lulu went to Salt Lake to help her nurse a tiny, sick baby through a very difficult time. From then on she was foster mother to a great many children. Some of these children are: Joseph, Margaret, Josephine & Harriet Wells, Lyman & Rulon Jones, Miriam & Lillian Lovell, Artie, David & John Gardner, all of Silva's children, Wesley & Carol Anne Barlow, Malen Jr., Lovell, Stanley & Jerry Mecham, David Harris who lived with her and Clark for around two years. She tended Hazel, Ken & Cheryl Harris for quite a long time. All of RaNae Christensen's children were tended by her daily for six or seven years.

Her home was a maternity home. She always made her sisters welcome and nursed them with skill, though she had only practical training in nursing. She attended the following mothers in the births of some of their babies: Gene Gardner, Silva Harris, Belva Jones, Angelyn Mecham, Mamie Lovell, Nell Barlow, Louisa Lovell, Thelma Anderson and Ann Roper.

Her nursing skills were appreciated when death came to the family, too. In 1933, during a two-month period, she helped nurse, prior to their death, Margaret Wells, Malen Mecham, Jr. (Aunt Angelyn's first baby), Marion Harris and her sister Hattie. She attended at the deaths of her brother and sisters who died before her. She helped dress Mamie's infant daughter, Grace, who was stillborn. Lulu was well acquainted with both birth and death.

She taught the small class in Primary, for she had a natural knack with children and a great love for them. She seemed to be able to focus on children as she talked to them so that they were conscious of her love and concern. Children were always drawn to her.

For 16 years she served as a secretary in the Young Women's Mutual Organization. For many years she was a Relief Society visiting teacher. She was the secretary for Junior Sunday School for 17 years.

Her grandmother Lovell lived in their home until her death, July 28, 1920. Lulu helped prepare her meal trays and take them to her. Lulu always regretted that she didn't spend more time with her grandmother who was so lonely.

Lulu told the story that her mother didn't insist on her doing too much housework when she was young. Her mother must have been concerned about her health. Lulu said she was "lazy" when she was young. But life soon gave her so many responsibilities, she had not the time to be "lazy."

In 1916, her parents and brother, Clark, moved out to the farm northwest of Oak City. That left Lulu with some large responsibilities with half a home and garden lot to be cared for.

She worked at Finlinson's store to make a living for herself. Her first wages were 50 cents a day. This was when she first started paying tithing. She later clerked for Junior Anderson when he owned the store. She always kept an account book of how much she had earned each month and what she spent it for. She always went to tithing settlement and knew exactly what she needed to pay.

She told of how she felt after her brother, Stanley, died in July of 1940. Stanley and Louisa lived in half of the home. Aunt Louisa had been ill quite a bit and had trouble with her legs. Lulu said the weight of the responsibility for the house and lot weighed heavily on her. Her feelings of loss at his death intensified.

She learned to work and to work hard. She never saw a board or stick of wood but that she brought it to her wood pile. She used to make a trip out to the farm to bring in a wagon load of wood every fall. At her death, there were two huge piles of hand-sawed wood, stacked neatly by the wash house.

She worked hard in her garden. She learned this at an early age. Her father was well-known for his well-kept garden. His children had to weed it on their hands and knees. She not only enjoyed gardening, but she seemed to gain an inner strength from spring and planting a garden. It seemed to be more than enthusiasm.

She enjoyed studying and ordering from the seed catalogues. She saved seeds each year. She had rows or marigolds and petunias planted right along by the carrots and cantaloupes. She always had a compost pit or pile. She believed in putting back into the soil the compost and fertilizer.

Parley Roper said Lulu and her sister, Silva, were the two best farmers in Oak City. For more than ten years, they raised and sold raspberries that they sold for $3.00 each. She was always very generous with her fruit and vegetables. Her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and people in town were often given produce.

She was very thrifty and careful to use well the material things of this life. RaNae Christensen said of her, "She developed life-sustaining skills such as mending and making-over clothing, canning, raising and killing chickens, curing and bottling meat, quilting, and making soap. She knew the hardships of the depression and the drought. She knew what it was to have little or no money. Her testimony of the Gospel gave her strength to face these trials."

Lulu loved handwork. She embroidered cross-stitch pillow cases for all her nieces and several of the grand nieces. She made over 100 temple aprons. She made the temple apron in which Governor Heber M. Wells was buried. She has about eight different patterns she used. She has a list of the many people she made aprons for. She was sad when she could no longer make them.

She was a happy and positive person. She seemed to find pleasure in her garden and service to others. Her family seemed to bring her the most joy.

In 1943, her mother and father moved back into Oak City from the farm. Neither of them were very well. Her mother had been ill several times before and would come in to town to stay for several months with Lulu. Her father had injured a nerve in his shoulder after a fall from a hay wagon. His arm was paralyzed. Her mother died March 30, 1946, and her father died February 19, 1951. He required a lot of nursing. The last seven years of his life, he sat in a chair or laid on the bed. All of the children helped to nurse him, but the main burden fell on Lulu and Clark.

In 1950, they discovered that Lulu had cancer. She was operated on and afterwards had X-ray treatments in Salt Lake City. She stayed with Nell and Roy during this time. Dr. Milo Moody always said she was one of his two miracle patients who had been cured of cancer.

When Lulu was 64 years old, she was asked to work at RaNae Christensen's home. She had recently lost two sisters and her other close relatives weren't living near. She soon became very involved with the Christensen family, helping to raise the children and keeping house. RaNae says, "She lovingly taught our children, Linda and Clark, to enjoy a good story, the beauties of nature and to talk to our Father in Heaven. At 67, she began bathing, diapering, and feeding two babies daily, as well as other household chores. She had a way of making everyday activities special. She would fix a peanut butter and honey sandwich, then Clark and she would take John and Vern to the farm and have a picnic. Our John says, "Aunt Lulu makes the best peanut butter and honey sandwiches because she likes us."

She had a strong testimony of the Gospel. This testimony may have started while she was very young. Her mother liked to talk to her children about the Gospel as they worked together in the garden and the house.

Lulu got her endowments on May 23, 1923. She had quite a list of names, 80 to 85, of these for whom she had done temple work. One day she was the first one to wait in the Creation Room. She said a little prayer asking about temple work. While sitting there alone, there flashed these words on the dark wall - Temple work is true. She never questioned the principle of Temple work after that. She was a firm believer in prayer and knelt every evening to say her prayers.

She and Clark made a large donation to the chapel building fund in spite of expensive medical bills. She paid her tithing in December 1976, and went for tithing settlement even though she had been ill for some time and unable to go out. Both she and Clark humbly bore testimonies of the Gospel in every day work and action.

One of her great joys was to ride up the canyon in the hot summer months. As she rode, she would tell about the many experiences the Lovell family had in the canyon. John Lovell's bear story, Belva's cooking for the crew who planted the Ponderosas, Mamie's camp-outs each summer, and the ride she and Clark took up Bowens Canyon.

In 1974, the doctors discovered that she had aplastic anemia. Her doctor, Dr. Dayton, said it was caused by some drugs she had taken with her various operations, or even by the radiation treatments when she had cancer. Lulu said at one time, "I've had so many blood transfusions, I don't know if I am of the blood of Israel or not."

The years that followed were a struggle for her physically. In January of 1976, she had her gall bladder removed. Angelyn stayed with her at the hospital and helped her for quite awhile after she came home. She told Angelyn once, "The Lord will provide." When asked, "Provide what?" She replied, "Someone to take care of me after each operation."

Lulu had nursed Angelyn after her heart operation. They both felt a desire to repay the other person for the care given them. Angelyn left her home and put in countless hours nursing and keeping her company. Angelyn is an excellent cook and housekeeper. Her services to Lulu and Clark were great.

Lillian and LaMar's move back to Oak City brought joy to Lulu. As she became increasingly more ill and had less physical strength, Lillian became an ‘ironrod' with her physical stamina and moral courage. Although Lulu had lost a lot of weight, she was heavy to move. But Lillian was able to do this for her.

Lillian took many meals and snacks to her home. Through the care of Clark, Angelyn and Lillian, Lulu gained enough strength to raise from her sick bed for extended periods of time.

Lulu's respect and love for her brother, Clark, was a central part of her life. They depended on each other for companionship. Lulu was so concerned about dying first and leaving Clark behind. He proved his love for her in so many ways. He stayed with her nights for a week near the last. He had the love to release her from suffering.

She surprised the doctors many times by her ability to go on living when her blood count was so low. She seems to me to have a very strong will to live and a love of life.

This, by Brother Orson Whitney, sustained Lulu in her last weeks at home:
"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience, is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God - and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in Heaven."

She died November 7, 1977, in Oak City at 4:40 a.m., during her sleep. Her funeral was held in the Oak City chapel on November 10, 1977. She was buried that same day.

Her mother once said of her that she was the ‘hub of the family.' All the nieces and nephews have felt her love and concern for them. As their brothers and sisters passed away, Clark and Lulu seemed to fill in as foster parents to the nieces and nephews.

Lulu and Clark were always very interested in the family members. A visit with them was a good time to catch up on all the family news. She always spoke positively of loved ones and with respect. She took pride in their accomplishments.

-source: Material taken from a life sketch by Nell Barlow, notes and information from Angelyn, Clark, Lillian and RaNae