Obituary: Genevieve Lemon
Genevieve Lemon (August 2, 1924 – November 23, 2021)
On November 23, 2021, in Buckland, Massachusetts, Genevieve House Lemon, life-long follower of Jesus, slipped this Earthly realm into the full glory and loving arms of the Lord. Her last days were filled with continuous expressions of love, Bible readings, tender touches, music made, and hymns sung by her family.
On August 2nd, 1924, Genevieve was born in the “Red Brick House” in Rosebush, Michigan, to Harry and Eva House. This family home replaced the original log cabin her great-grandfather built on the land he cleared by hand for their 120-acre ”House Family Farm” homestead. Genevieve resided in Michigan until selling her home of 60 years in 2018. She lived with her daughter and family in beautiful western Massachusetts for her last four years.
She was a musician and music lover, playing the piano weeks before her death. She was always singing and whistling. She began playing piano in her grandmother’s church in Farwell, and often played for church services well into her 70s. She accompanied and sang her fine alto in all configurations of vocal music.
In her fifth year, she attended primer (kindergarten) in Mount Pleasant. Then from first through eighth grades, Genevieve and her sisters walked the mile or so each way from their home to the one-room schoolhouse. She read every book in that library four or five times. Her lifelong love of books and reading was evidenced by the packed shelves of books in every room of their little house. She never left to go anywhere without a cloth bag containing books and crossword or word-search puzzles. This passion for reading precipitated her to propose, and implement, a real card file, Dewey Decimal System library for the small local K-4th grade at Pleasant Lake Elementary School! Mrs. Lemon was honored, thanked, and is still fondly remembered for those 12 years she managed “her library.”
Genevieve graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1943 and continued helping at the farm and working as a Rosebush telephone operator. She faithfully wrote letters to cousins and friends serving overseas during WWII. In 1952, she went to work at the Michigan State Title Division in Lansing, where she met Paul Lemon. They married in 1953, living in their 15 x 27–foot trailer until 1958 when their little family of three moved into their cottage on Pleasant Lake in Manchester, Michigan. Genevieve was a cherished friend and kept in touch with countless people around the world. She possessed the amazing gift of making friends in every circumstance.
Predeceased by her husband, Paul; infant daughter, Eva; younger sisters Gladys and Florence; and brother-in-law Jack, Genevieve is survived by her daughter Cheryl and her husband Tony; grandsons Tam, Tory (wife Susan), and Teddy (wife Eliza); great-grandsons Quinten and Hudson; her sister Betty; sister-in-law Vonda; and myriad beloved nieces, nephews, and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 14, at 1pm. Please bring your memories of Genevieve, a lawn chair, and a dish to share to: Woodland Cemetery on Crawford Road, between Rosebush Road and Weisman Road in Rosebush, Michigan. Full obituary and details are available on the Smith Kelleher Funeral Home website.
Please consider a donation in Genevieve’s name to the: Genevieve Lemon Memorial Fund, care of the Church of God in Michigan, 4212 Alpha St, Lansing, Michigan 48910.
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