Lucille E. Sears

Lucille Esther Sears, 90, of Clear Lake, died Thursday, June 23, 2016, at Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, in Mason City.

A funeral service was held on Monday, June 27, 2016, at Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, with the Rev. Dr. Pat Hall officiating.  Burial was in Clear Lake Cemetery.

  Family suggests memorial contributions to the Lucille Sears Memorial Fund.

Lucille was born March 26, 1926, the daughter of Axel and Christine (Rasmunsen) Thomsen, in Titonka, Iowa.  At a young age the family moved to a farm south of Clear Lake where she attended Bakers Country School.  She graduated from Clear Lake High School with the class of 1944.

Lucille worked at the Bailey Dime Store and for Dr. Peterson as a receptionist in the 1940’s.  Coming from a musical family, Lucille loved music, and someone in the family was always playing the guitar, singing or playing the piano. Lucille played the piano by ear well into her 80’s.  Anyone could mention a song and without sheet music, she could play it.

Lucille met Tilman Sears at the Surf Ballroom early in 1946.  They were united in marriage on Sept. 8, 1946, at Zion Lutheran Church, in Clear Lake.  He preceded her in death on Jan. 15, 2005.  They loved to dance and never missed a Friday night dance for many years.

In 1960, Lucille began working for Clear Lake Schools in the hot lunch program; first as a lunch lady at the Clear Lake Junior High until the school burned and she started at the Clear Lake Middle School, until retiring in July 1996 at the age of 70.

Lucille loved to dance, read, garden, play the piano, listen to music, and bake.  She’d often call and say she had baked chocolate chip cookies, a banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, and to please come and get it!

Lucille lived in the family home that they built in June 1949 until May 2016.

Lucille is survived by two daughters, Beverly Ann (Denny) Currier, of Clear Lake, and Marilyn Rose (Paul) Schoneman, of Garner, Iowa; five grandchildren, Jennifer Currier, Jason (Jenny) Currier, Yvette (Marty) Bachman, Raquel Schoneman and Theodore Schoneman; four great-grandchildren, Nick Currier, Max Currier, Maddox Kruger and Rylynn Kruger; and a brother, Ken (Ann) Thomsen; a sister-in-law, Millie Thomsen; a special niece, Jan (Dean) Molinsky; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Lucille was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Tilman; a sister, Gladys Leach; and two brothers, Frank Thomsen and Richard Thomsen.

Keep dancing mom and dad!

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel was in charge of arrangements.