Lucille L. Wesley

Lucille was born on March 4th 1921 in Chicago Illinois to Charles and Nellie Leonard. Her paternal and maternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland and she was quite proud of her Irish heritage. Her parents, Charles and Nellie, had three daughters Eleanor, Lucille and Katherine.

Lucille excelled in school and graduated early from high school. After high school she attended Business school and became an administrative secretary. As a young woman she and six or so of her friends formed a group called the Ginger Snap Girls (GSGs). It was a group of young women who were best of friends. They could not afford much at that time, being so young and all, so they would have tea parties with ginger snap cookies. They remained lifelong friends. Lucille and her friend Alice were the last two of the GSGs. It is interesting to note that GSG Alice passed away on January 1st 2014, one week after Lucille passed on December 24th, 2013.

Our Mom was a very beautiful and talented girl and woman. She had a beautiful soprano voice and aspired to sing in the opera. She sang Ave Maria every year in the Catholic Cathedral in Chicago. She loved music, theater and dancing.

She married Robert J. Wesley on or about December 24th, 1945. They were married in Chicago, Illinois, Dad was in the Navy and they moved to San Diego in 1952. They had three children Robert, Patricia and Gerald.

Lucille and Robert were divorced in 1962. She remarried in 1974 to Malvern (Mal) Becking. Through Mal’s work as an aerospace engineer they were able to live in Sevilla, Spain for two years and in Taiwan for another two years. Our Mom loved traveling and different cultures and was afforded the opportunity to experience both through living in Spain and Taiwan. While living in Spain, she was able to go to Ireland, France, Italy and Portugal and had wonderful memories of her travels.

Monte Vista Village in Lemon Grove was Lucille’s residence when she passed. She sure enjoyed her time there with her nightly poker games with her compadres.

Lucille was preceded in death by Gerald, her youngest child, who passed on June 20th 2009 after a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

She is survived by her children Robert and his wife Darity Wesley of La Mesa and Patricia Wesley and her wife Deirdre Tunney of El Cajon, her sister Katherine Housing of Chicago and Katherine’s six children, and her most recent love, Gene Arthur, who resided at Monte Vista Village.

It is with our love and hugs and blessings that we send to Mom on her journey Home….