Lillian Areta Musser was born in Upland, California on September 27, 1926, the youngest daughter in a family of seven children to Charles and Emma Musser. Lillian’s childhood years were spent growing up on a dairy farm-Shady Grove Dairy of Upland. Her family attended Upland Brethren in Christ church. Every summer General Conference was held in various locations. Lillian went with her parents to Canada. Carl Heise was a local youngster that attended that year and a little blonde girl caught his eye.
Lillian enjoyed singing, sewing, cooking and hiking in the beautiful mountains near their home. Lillian graduated from Beulah /Upland College and graduated Nursing school in Pasadena. In 1948 Lillian was a part of the traveling ladies quartet from Upland College performing along the way in churches across the United States on their way to the Canadian General Conference. Carl and Lillian met up again and a long distance romance blossomed. Carl moved to California and they were married in 1951.
The young couple moved to Canada for a short while where Lillian worked in Toronto as a Registered Nurse. California called them back for a couple of years till the opportunity arose for Carl to farm with his brother in Iowa. They lived in Iowa for a year till Lillian’s father called asked if they could come back and help on the farm in California so they came back and they settled in Ontario in a house situated on land of the Shady Grove Dairy Farm.
Twenty some years were spent raising six children. The family attended Chino Brethren in Christ where Lillian taught Sunday school and sang in the church choir, performing many times as a soprano soloist. Lillian would also sing with her two sisters as the Musser Trio. Thorough out her life Lillian was devoted to her children and her family, as well as Carl’s family. She took care of her own Mother when she was sick with cancer until her death. Many happy family excursions were made to Canada to visit with family there.
After most of the kids were grown, Carl and Lillian purchased seventeen acres in Paso Robles, California and Carl built Lillian her dream home. Carl was able to live out his dream of growing hay and raising a few cows. Lillian was able to live out a dream of hiking to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite at the age of 68, with a group of gal friends from church. The couple made many friends in Paso. After living there twenty years they returned to Upland and lived out the rest of their years.
