March 28, 2024

Lula Mae Spoonemore

Lenox

Funeral celebration of life services for Lula Mae (Cookie) Spoonemore, age 90, of Lenox, who passed away Monday, May 13, 2019, at Lenox Care Center will be 11 a.m. Monday, May 20, at Ritchie Funeral Home, 124 S. Main St., in Lenox with Rev. Tim Maxa and Pastor Karla Lidden officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services with the family greeting friends. Memorials may be given in her name or directed to St. Judes. Memories may be shared with the family at www.ritchiefuneralhome.com under obituaries. Arrangements were entrusted to Ritchie Funeral Home of Lenox where we "Celebrate Life."

Lula Mae (Eller) Spoonemore, or “Cookie” as she was known to many, was born June 17, 1928, in Lenox, the daughter of James and Eunice (Key) Eller. She was her father’s birthday present that year, having been born on his birthday. She attended elementary school in Lenox and high school in both Lenox and Omaha, where her family moved for a short time.

Upon her return to Lenox, she met and married Harry Paul Spoonemore in 1946. They were blessed with one daughter, Janice, born in 1947. They made their home in Lenox, where they owned and operated the Spoonemore Hatchery for many years. Lula Mae worked alongside her husband in all aspects of the hatchery business from candling eggs and monitoring the incubators to debeaking young chickens and doing the bookkeeping. In addition to baby chicks, they hatched ducks, quail and occasionally geese. Her favorite part was meeting and interacting with all the folks who did business with them, whether at the hatchery or on their farms. When they closed the hatchery, she continued to use her people skills working first at C & M Tavern, then at other taverns in Lenox. She established many friendships over those years. When Harry was diagnosed with cancer in 1976, she quit work and gave excellent care to him until his death in 1979.

After Harry's passing, Lula Mae would visit her daughter and her family in California for several weeks each year. She celebrated her 60th birthday at Disneyland and enjoyed many trips to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Monterey, Yosemite and many other areas in California. That twinkle in her eye told you that she enjoyed herself immensely. She especially loved the ocean. She delighted in her grandchildren, Leslie and Dave, and baked many batches of her wonderful cookies for them. They adored her and her "applesauce cheeks," and she adored them. Later, her love of family grew to include her five great-grandchildren. She met and held and loved them all.

Lula Mae loved reading and was a whiz at jigsaw and crossword puzzles. She also loved to garden and grow flowers. A favorite pastime was watching and feeding the birds while at Sunrise Apartments. She moved to Lenox Care Center in October of 2015. Lula Mae was generous with her warmth, kindness and sense of humor.

Left to cherish Lula Mae’s memory are her daughter, Jan Horton and husband Gary of Modesto, California; granddaughter, Leslie Mendes and husband Matt of Modesto; grandson, Dave Horton and wife Stacie of Atascadero, California; great-grandchildren, Bode, Bryant and Evelyn Mendes of Modesto; and Tessa and Leah Horton of Atascadero; brother, Francis (Curly) Eller of Mound City, Missouri; nieces, nephews and many friends.

Preceding Lula Mae in death are her parents, James and Eunice Eller; husband Harry Spoonemore; sister Helen Smith; brother James (Jiggs) Eller and sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.

We are grateful for the excellent care and thoughtful gestures provided by the staff of the Lenox Care Center, by Dr. Shoenfelt and Every Step Hospice.

Her spirit and ever-present positive attitude will live on in the hearts of those who were fortunate to call her Mom, Nana, Grammy, sister and friend.