Lola Mae Mondor

Lola Mae (Sickler) Mondor November 13, 1926 - November 28, 2019 Langevin • El Paraiso Funeral Home Following are some facts about Lola Mondor’s busy life. What are missing are those little stories that only you can share. Please join us for Lola’s Memorial Service and share those stories. Lola Mae ascended to her heavenly home on Thanksgiving Day. Those of you that know Lola will nod in agreement when we confidentially state that she has already asked Jesus why she did not live to experience 99 years here on earth, her goal. Lola was never afraid to speak up and make her thoughts known. Some of her spunkiness was inherited from her grandmother, for whom she was named. Mae Conrad Sickler was a member of a local pioneer family that traveled to the valley in a covered wagon and then raised cattle in

Conrad Meadows near Rimrock Lake.

Tampico

Also, some of that directness was due to the fact she was the oldest of eight children. The family was raised on a small farm on the south fork of Tampico. Lola became quite comfortable giving orders to those younger siblings. Her stories included wanderings about the hills of Tampico, helping her Dad with farm chores, and assisting her Mom with the younger children. Through eighth grade, she often rode a horse to the one room schoolhouse across from the Tampico Store. Her time at Tampico was interrupted when it was time to get a high school degree. She then moved to her Grandma Mae’s on 6th Street to attend Davis High School. After graduation, she was off to W.S.U. for two years. After her return from W.S.U., she became reacquainted with her siblings and the neighbors, including the Mondors. Archie Mondor quickly caught her eye and she his. Those Tampico boys loved their baseball, and Archie was a pitcher. It was through watching those baseball games that Lola became a life long baseball fan. She particularly enjoyed cheering on the Mariners.

Cowiche

Lola and Archie married in 1948. They raised their three children on Pioneer Way in Cowiche. Hard work on the farm was an expectation. Lola did a variety of jobs in the hop fields, and the cherry, pear, and apple orchards, later claiming those trips up the ladders ruined her knees! On those winter slack days on the farm, daily board games and cards were played with family. Those Monopoly games could last for days. In the 1960s, Lola joined the Highland United Methodist Church. She was involved there in many capacities during her life. She regularly attended Sunday School and Worship Service plus taught Sunday and Vacation Bible School for decades; she sang in the choir, and volunteered in the Food Bank. Lola was a student of the Bible, completing all sessions offered for Bible Study Fellowship. When the five grandchildren began arriving in the 1970s, Lola continued the board games and cards with them. Further, the grandkids helped with gardening, huckleberry picking, and enjoyed riding the quad. Her grandchildren were as comfortable at Grandma’s as they were at their own home.

Summitview Avenue

By the time the great-grandchildren began arriving, Archie and Lola had retired and were living in

heir home on Summitview. Lola had used her retirement years to continue education at the Yakima Valley Community College. She became a tax preparer for a time, but most enjoyed being a customer service representative of the Hallmark Card Company for about 20 years. In 1996 her husband suffered an aneurysm, and for four years she added to her schedule daily trips to the nursing facility in order to be with Archie for every lunch and dinner. They were married for 48 years.

Gleed

Twelve years ago Lola moved to live in an apartment at her daughter’s home. During her twelve years there, she continued her involvement at the church and added volunteering at Franklin Middle School, Ridgeview Elementary, and Adams Elementary. She received a Golden Acorn Award (PTA) for her hours of service to Franklin. Ridgeview had her help, and the help of sisters, Kathy and Phyllis, for the yearly book give-aways. She volunteered 20 hours each week at Adams Elementary for six years. When she was diagnosed at age 88 with heart disease, she felt it was time to “retire.” After she retired from volunteering at schools, she continued church involvement and playing pinocle with dear friends weekly. Up until her last week of life, she was playing poker one or two times every week.

Heaven

I Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. She received the prize! In the preceding paragraphs, we’ve talked about church, children, and cards and games, but there’s more. For years, she was a Season Ticket holder at the Warehouse Theater, a member of the Cowiche Grange, and served on the Election Board, never missing a voting opportunity. She is the one person I know that liked paying taxes. She often shared that there were many years when they were so poor that they owed not a thing. Becoming a taxpayer meant things were looking up financially. Lola is survived by her children: Lynn (Jim) Seamons, Richard Mondor, and Archie, Jr.; five grandchildren: Michele, Jana, Jaime, David, and Rick; eight greatgrandchildren: Alyssa (Greg), Sarah, Mali, Emma, Zach, Liam, and Elijah; brother: Purd (Janice) Sickler; sisters: Frances Fish, Kathy Edwards, and Phyllis Reynolds; sisters-in-law: Virgene Sickler and Brenda Sickler. She was preceded in death by her husband Archie; parents Parmer and Trudy Sickler; brothers Jack, Joe, and Jerry; and daughter-in-law Jeanne (Richard). She also was preceded in death by numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. A visitation will be on December 11th, 2019 at Langevin El Paraiso Funeral Home, 1010 W. Yakima Avenue, Yakima, WA from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. A graveside service will be held on December 12th at West Hills Memorial Park, 11800 Douglas Road, Yakima at 10:00 a.m. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on December 28th at 11:00 a.m. at Grace of Christ Church, 9 S. 8th Avenue, Yakima. If desired, memorial donations can be made to the Highland Food Bank or Madison

House.