Luella Acton Chatfield

She was preceded in death by her parents George Hummer Acton and Frances Donovan Acton, her brother Wallace E. Acton, her niece Carmon D. Molnar and her loving husband William Eugene Chatfield. She is survived by her brother John (Brenda) Acton; her children Greg (Carol) Chatfield, Cheryl (Mike) Kos; grandchildren Thomas (Maggie) Chatfield, Brittany (Joe) Constantine, Courtney (Mike) Kopacz, Jordan (Jaquie) Kos and Melanie Kos; her great-grandchildren Liam and Luka Constantine, Colton, MacKenzie and Marcus Kopacz, Sèamus and Ayla Chatfield; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Born in Washington D.C. on June 9, 1940, she had a passion for learning and became a top student. She also enjoyed gleaning information from both of her grandmothers who lived with her. Shortly after she graduated high school (Bethesda Chevy Chase), her brother Wally brought home a “friend” for dinner who turned out to be the man of her dreams. They were married on July 8, 1960.

Lou was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. Her motto in life was JOY – Jesus, Others, Yourself. She was a godly woman who shared her faith in the humblest of ways with everyone she met through the life she lived. She was very active in her church, serving as a children’s Sunday school teacher, church librarian, doing mission work, and leading adult groups. Her most notable position was the church secretary for over 20 years. She worked for many years, serving countless hours as a volunteer before a pastor insisted that she get paid something. With every position Lou held, she did not just do the basics to get by but took the position to a whole different level, serving with all of her heart.

Lou was an avid reader and note writer. She especially loved sharing her passion for books with children. She spent countless hours at Barnes and Noble perusing books to build the children’s library at Williamsburg United Methodist Church. When she visited her grandchildren, she had a book or two in hand. She was faithful in sending cards and writing notes to everyone she knew. Recipients would always comment on how she found the perfect words to meet their needs at the time. Lou also enjoyed counted cross stitch and made many projects over the years and of course, most often for others.

In addition to her love for God, family and friends; Lou loved her country as seen by her faithful wearing of red every Friday. She also showed a great appreciation for nature and loved walking and enjoying its beauty whether it was the colors of fall, the winter snowflakes, the birds singing, flowers blooming or the warm sunshine and cool breezes. She was thankful for it all.

A celebration of life will be held at Williamsburg United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 14, at 1:00 p.m. A reception will immediately follow the service. The service will also be live-streamed on williamsburgumc.org.

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions be made to the Williamsburg UMC Endowment Fund, 500 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185.