Goldie Eileen Lutes

Mom had a heart of gold and gave more than she ever asked for herself. She was a born caretaker, always taking in strays that included pets of all types (a goat, an owl, squirrels and even a skunk). She provided a roof and a warm bed for several of her children’s childhood friends and she loved them as though they were her own. In later years her welcoming love extended to her children’s adult friends and many knew her and loved her as ‘mom’. She loved whole heartedly and often referred to those she loved with the possessive noun -mine: ‘my Skipper’, ‘my Toddy’, ‘my Triplets’.

She loved being a wife and she cooked, cleaned and cared for each of her husbands and each were the love of her life. She had 28 years with Kenneth William and 17 years with Raymond Avery before laying them to rest too soon. In 2008 she married John, a special soul whom ended up being her caretaker, an act that allowed her to continue to live in and then pass away peacefully at home with her husband and children at her bedside, as she always wished to do.

She loved life and in keeping with her childhood nickname ‘Go-go Goldie’, she loved to travel. Cruises were a favorite but she held a special place in her heart for Aruba, having spent several weeks there each year. Her family has great memories of partying with mom and of dancing anytime there was music. She loved her country music and dancing at the Moose with her friends became a weekly or twice weekly activity. She even rang in her 75th birthday as the star dancer on stage at a college bar! Later, as the dementia claimed her ability to dance, she had her old country music on an I POD. Despite losing the ability to converse in depth, she knew all of the lyrics and would listen with a headset and sing at the top of her lungs as if no one could hear her. Her music made her happy.

She loved to laugh and her laugh was so infectious; you laughed at hearing her laugh. She was the first to laugh at herself too, like the time she was using hair conditioner as body lotion or when she continued to put her blue cheese dressing on her potato and then wondered why her salad did not have any dressing.

She loved a good party and reveled in crowds. Fortunately, retirement brought many afternoon social gatherings and the opportunity to spend time with friends, both new and old. She loved to entertain and feed her guests and of course, she loved her cocktails! Many memories include mom with food and drinks with little umbrellas.

She was a role model, running the household and the farm. She took corn to the grain elevator, fed and cleaned up after the livestock, and took care of a massive garden each year. She canned or froze everything from her garden and nothing went to waste. She loved to cook and made most everything from scratch. Her children had to go to a friend’s home if they wanted cereal as breakfast at mom’s consisted of eggs, grits or hash, ham or bacon and sourdough toast or pancakes with fresh peaches and home-made jams. Dinners consisted of homemade noodles, spaghetti (never tomatoes from a jar), fried chicken in the cast iron skillet, huge stockpots of soups, coleslaw and even tossed salads (hers always tasted the best). She could make any leftover a feast and nothing made her happier than having a table full of people; she loved to watch people eat and enjoy. Her children remember a house full of love and smells of fresh breads and cookies. Her grandchildren have fond memories of huge breakfasts and her famous backroom freezer; full of fresh frozen fruit and baked goods. It was always exciting for them to think about what meals Grandma might prepare for them and what she would pull out of the freezer for desert: Magic bars, chocolate chip cookies, fruit pies, cakes: German chocolate , Millionaire’s, fruit cocktail or any number of new creations. And of course there were always plenty of the famous Homemade tarts.

She was the family’s barber and beautician, seamstress; she made her daughters clothes, and maid. She completed the laundry and ironed almost everything in the house (she did let her daughter iron the towels). She kept the windows spotless and the dust at bay. You could eat off the floors at her home. Despite not having a spare minute, she somehow found the time to return to school and obtain her GED at the age of 49, a feat that made her very proud.

Goldie is survived by husband of 11 years John Lutes; son, Rodney W. (Skip) Parsons and wife, Charlotte of Six Lakes MI; daughters, Michelle E. (Larry) Risner of Bethel Springs TN and Cheri E. (Todd) Moore of Charlotte MI, 14 grandchildren, 12 Great Grandchildren and 7 Great-Great Grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by spouses, Kenneth William Hornby and Raymond Avery Prescott; sons, Kenneth William (Butch) Hornby and Kenneth Steven Hornby; daughter, Ruth Ann Agler; 3 brothers, John, George and James (Ernie) Buchin; one sister, Helen (Buchin) Gencarelli.

We will miss her terribly but feel blessed to have had her in our lives as long as we did. We will hold her memories close and think of her always, dancing and smiling. Family will receive friends on Monday, July 1st, 12-2pm at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 900 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI with Graveside service to follow at Deepdale Memorial Cemetery at 3pm. Last but not least there will be a celebration of life at Tony M’s restaurant on Creyts Rd. in Lansing at 5pm. All are welcome to attend, listen to her favorite old country and raise their glasses in remembrance of mom.