Lula Mae Stockton (Janott) Kincaid

Lula was born August 3, 1922, at home outside of Cedar Creek (Leflore County), Oklahoma to Arthur and Alice Lillian (Brown) Stockton, the fifth of nine children. She dropped out of school in the 8th grade to help work the family farm. She worked side by side with the men on the ranch and, according to the stories she told, could work just as hard as any man. As she grew older, she moved to McAllen, Texas, and worked in a tuberculosis sanitarium. While working there she met a returning soldier from World War II, Manuel Janott. He swept her off her feet (or perhaps she swept him off his feet!) and they were married in August 1943, moving to Chicago, Illinois, to be near his family.

Although the marriage ended early, it was blessed with a baby girl, Sharon June Janott. Following the divorce from Manuel, Mom moved to Stockton, California, where she worked as a practical nurse. She later moved to Washington State and worked at an evaporator plant in Outlook, where she struck up a friendship with Anna Belle Carr, the sister of the man she would later marry. Belle introduced Lula to Earl Kincaid, a former MP who had recently been discharged from the US Army. They were married on May 18, 1945, and moved to the Zillah, Washington area where they had four children, daughter Gaila, sons Earl Jr and Jerry, and daughter Gloria. In June 1960, the family moved to “town,” into the city of Toppenish. Mom worked for over 30 years seasonally at Del Monte on the sorting belts and then in the grading sheds, and at Stokely Van Camp in Zillah, Memorial Hospital in Toppenish and at Toppenish Nursing Home. Mom was very proud of the fact that while working full time and raising five children, she also obtained her GED. The family remained in Toppenish until all the children were grown and away from home. Earl and Lula moved to Sunnyside where they lived until Earl’s death in 1976. Lula moved back to Toppenish the following year and continued working at Del Monte until she was 75 years old, when she finally retired. She then worked part-time at McDonald’s in Toppenish. She continued living in Toppenish until the onset of Alzheimer’s disease made it impossible for her to continue to live alone. In 2009 she became a resident of Selah Convalescent Center, and the entire family is very grateful for the loving and compassionate care she received. She passed away at Cottage In The Meadow in Yakima.

Lula was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Alice Lillian Stockton, husband Earl Kincaid, Sr., son Earl Kincaid, Jr., brothers Guy, RJ, Arch and Tommy Stockton, sisters Grace Boyd and Mattie Vigil. She is survived by her four children, Sharon (Dick) Roseburg of Omak, Gaila Till of Salem, Oregon, Jerry (Jerrilynn) Kincaid of Klickitat, and Gloria (Joe) Kruszka of Union Gap, her brother, Homer (Flo) Stockton of Vinton, Louisiana and her sister, Inola Franklin of Belfair, Washington. She also leaves seven grandchildren, Linda (Alan) Keste of Wenatchee, Denise (Ed) Bender of Salem, Oregon, Susanne (Darren) Cogar of Kalispell, Montana, David (Amanda) Roseburg of Kaysville, Utah, Jeff (Kathy) Kincaid of Oregon City, OR, Joshua (Ann) Kincaid of Puyallup, and Shawn (Angie) Kincaid of Selah, 14 great-grandchildren, one step-great-granddaughter, and many nieces and nephews.