Lucille Marie Hott

Lucille Marie Hott, age 85 left this present life and was welcomed into her heavenly home on March 21, 2024. Lucille Marie Volk was born July 31,1938 to Edward and Charlotta (Schmidt) Volk in St. Louis, MO. Lucy, eventually Luci was the eldest of three siblings - Arthur (Art) and Bruce.

Sometime in 1943 the family’s life was turned upside down when their father drove them to her grandparents’ house in Hammond, IN and just left. The following year they moved into a low-income housing development and her mother was re-married. A few years later Luci and her brothers devised a plan to earn some spending money to help with family expenses. They lived near a large industrial complex where many locals were employed. On payday they’d go to the market and ask customers if they could help carry their groceries home for a tip. This allowed for a wagon to be purchased to help haul the bags. The younger brother Bruce took over the delivery of groceries while another opportunity began. Homes in this area were heated by coal or coal fired furnace, so they started hauling coal from the street to be put in a chute that led to people’s basements. This coal business was hard and DIRTY. With the money earned two bikes were purchased. For another job Art would go to an ice cream company and return with goodies for he and Luci to sell around the neighborhood. The area on their route was rough so Art carried a ball bat and Luci had a knife taped to the bottom of the ice chest. Art would return to the company, get their money, some ice cream and pedal back as fast as he could so the three of them could enjoy it. With both bikes they also had a newspaper route and were also responsible for collecting money for the subscription, but that didn’t last long because some people wouldn’t pay up.

Around age 14 Luci moved into her grandparents’ house, worked in her grandmother’s restaurant and helped Art to park cars at the nearby Dance Land. At 18 she graduated from George Rogers Clark High School in Hammond, IN with a class of 176 students. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Modern Dance, other school clubs and a cast member in the play “Halfway To Heaven”.

Shortly after graduation she found work in Chicago as a clerk typist and took some night courses at La Salle University including a class on the Stenotype Machine (the way of writing shorthand in easily read letters of the alphabet). In October of 1957 she got a job as Stenographer with Maintenance of Way Employees Union in Chicago. In 1959 she and some other women she knew applied for and was accepted as a pool clerk typist with the United States Information Agency-Voice of America in Washington D.C. By 1960 she had become a Secretary/Stenographer. While living there she joined a Square Dance group whose caller was the father of Roy Clark.

After seeing job postings for overseas Secretarial positions, she applied and was offered a position in Vienna, Austria as 3rd Secretary but she wanted to be the only secretary. An opening in Calcutta, India was available with the United States Information Service (USIS) for a two-year tour. She then began a six-week State Department orientation course. People who had served in India presented their views, experiences, other session were on cultural customs, history and other items. Before leaving she had to receive additional vaccinations and she didn’t like needles (ouch).

In July of 1961, she left for India flying through Europe and the Mideast visiting Paris, Rome, Beirut and finally to Karachi landing at Dum Dum Airport in Calcutta. Today it is known as Kolkata. August 5th would be her first day as Secretary to the Public Affairs Officer. The USIS facility contained a large library, offices for 3 to 4 Americans as well as rooms for local employed Indians and meeting facilities. Because of India’s history the English language was used. Luci tutored people who wanted to improve their English and learn about America. The staff’s children did not have any playground equipment so Luci arranged for local craftsman to build and install a 900 Rupees ($190) swing set with her own money.

Most of the American Staff and the Marines lived in a compound surrounded by an eight-foot-high brick wall, located less than a mile from the American Consulate and a little bit farther away was the USIS facility. The Staff and Marines were not allowed to drive so transportation to work was a chauffeur driven car or van. Outside of work you could use taxi cabs, rickshaws, trams (street cars) or walk. You did not want to get into an accident!

While stationed in India Luci joined the Calcutta Swim Club. There were movie theaters that Americans went to, several good restaurants, a racetrack, zoo, softball ball games to watch, official / unofficial parties to attend and all US holidays were also observed in the compound. Americans were encouraged to hire good local people to provide services and she employed a cook and housekeeper.

Official trips took her to New Delhi (Capital) and Agra, India and Kathmandu, Nepal. In Nepal she had a nice encounter with a bear cub. Agra is the home of the Agra Fort and the famous Taj Mahal. As a tourist there were visits outside of Calcutta and Darjeeling, India (known for its hills and tea).

A new Marine Security Guard arrived in mid-November of 1961. While making a security check of her boss’s office Corporal Jack Hott meet Luci and on July 31,1962 they were engaged to be married. As her two-year tour ended on August 27, 1963, she left Calcutta by plane to Japan, from there by ship (weather wasn’t always nice) to California enroute to Washington D.C. for work at Voice of America. If she had not planned to marry Jack she would have gone to Berlin, Germany for another two-year tour. Jack returned in March of 1964 and in April she resigned from Voice of American and moved to south Kansas City, MO. They were married at the Hickman Mills Christian Church on May 2, 1964.

While living in south Kansas City she was employed at Richards Gebaur AFB in Grandview until Christina was born. In 1968 she was reemployed at the AFB until it was decommissioned that same year. In 1976-77 a house was built in Cleveland and they began attending the Cleveland Christian Church.

In 2002 Jack joined the Marine Embassy Guard Association which held yearly reunions and were reacquainted with some of the Guards when Luci and Jack were in Calcutta. We attended 14 of these events across the US and a number of Luci’s high school reunions. Adding vacation time enabled us to tour 27 state capitols, three of the first Presidents homes (Washington, Jefferson and Madison), Gettysburg, Ike’s home, Truman and FDR’s winter retreat along with other historical places, lighthouses, and many other sights. Typically, we spent Thanksgiving in Florida with our daughter and her family. Luci loved to do “tourist” things and go shelling on the beach.

In 2018 Luci was losing her excellent hearing and needed hearing aids and began using a walker a little later. At the time of her passing Luci was living at The Madison Senior Living - Memory Care Unit in Martin City. She is survived by husband Jack and daughter Christina (Camilo), granddaughter Isabella, brother in-law Bill (Susan), niece Cherri (John), nephews David (Leah), Daniel (Michele) and many amazing friends.

Some of Luci’s Amazing Accomplishments after Marriage:

1965 - Birth of daughter Christina.

1966 – Never owning a car, she took a Driver Education Course and became a license MO driver.

1970’s - Member of the Terrace Lake Home Association to petition KCMO to provide street lights

for the neighborhood. Her efforts were successful.

1972 to 1976 - Brownie & Girl Scout Leader for Troop #319 & #81.

1978 & 1979 - Through Cass Midway School we hosted two exchange students from France during Christina’s 7th and 8th grade year.

1980’s - She was one of three women that established the group to elect the first women to serve on the Cass Midway School Board. She began serving as a Cass County Election Judge for 28 years in the Cleveland area.

1983 to 1984 - Earned an Associate of Arts Degree from Longview Community College and was presented with the Outstanding Student Advocate Award.

8/1985 to 1/1989 - Worked as the Academics Secretary for the DeVry Institute of Technology and was presented with the Employee-of-the-Trimester Award.

1985 to 1991 - Original Board Member and longtime secretary for the Fran & Wally Good Reentry Scholarship Foundation for Longview Community College.

5/1990 to 11/1990 - While serving an internship with the South KC Chamber of Commerce was involved in Operation Handshake at the Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in Grandview, MO.

1991 - Earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and English. Graduated Magna Cum Laude at Avila College. Chairperson for the 100-year celebration for the City of Cleveland, MO.

1992 to 2003 - Served as the treasure for the Cleveland Senior Citizen Housing Association. Headed the ground breaking ceremony in December of 1993 and Open House for the eight units in 1994.

1993 - A member of the committee for the Cleveland Christian Church 100-year Celebration.

10/1996 to 2/1997 – Served as the temporary Cleveland City Clerk.

1999 - Served on the Cass County Committee for 150-year Celebration (1849-1999).

2018 - Became a cancer survivor by beating Lymphoma.