L. Lucille LaDue

Laura Lucille LaDue of Bolivar, MO, passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 18, 2023, at Parkview Health Care Facility. She was several days shy of her 89th birthday. The first of five children, Lucille was born in June, 1934, in Phoenix, AZ. Her father, Fred Posey Pulliam, was a Southern Baptist minister, and her mother, Nathana Laura Cameron Pulliam, was a social worker and church pianist. Lucille was raised in a family that valued fellowship and music in the service of the Lord. Lucille was a person on the move since childhood in many ways. She lived in a number of places growing up, eventually graduating from Joplin High School in Joplin, MO. She attended Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College, where she met her future husband, Paul William LaDue. (They actually met years earlier when her father was the minister of Fifth Street Baptist Church in Hannibal, MO, and Paul’s mother was the church organist.) They married in 1954 and had four children. During their marriage, Lucille and Paul lived in Columbia, MO; Chicago, IL; Monmouth, IL; Palos Verdes, CA; Berwyn, PA; Halfway, MO; Green Lake, WI; and Bolivar, MO. She found vocations everywhere they put down roots, studying and working in a range of jobs: phlebotomist, cub scout den mother, master gardener, college student, rural route mail carrier, teaching assistant, and frequent host of Elder Hostel programs. Lucille believed strongly in building community through hosting. Her children often heard her playing Claire de lune on the piano while they all prepared to welcome friends from church for both planned and unplanned gatherings. She began traditions of candy-making parties during the holidays and apple butter picnics in the fall and summer seasons. Her older children remember fondly her spooky haunted basement parties held every Halloween! A highlight of Lucille’s life was her years of service at the Green Lake Conference Center (formerly American Baptist Assembly), a center for Christian education, spiritual growth and renewal in Green Lake, WI. When her husband Paul became President of ABA in 1982, Lucille stood by his side in ministry, finding many ways to serve. During their years at the Assembly, Lucille directed the Greenhouse and led the grounds crew, designing beautiful flower beds and landscaping. She also built relationships with Amish friends and neighbors, facilitated Elder Hostel programs about the local Amish community, and fostered community with the volunteer staff. After they retired, Paul and Lucille joined the volunteer ranks and she worked in the lapidary, eventually heading the Troster Arts & Crafts Center. She particularly enjoyed impromptu potlucks with her many volunteer and staff friends. She provided a summer paradise for many of her grandchildren, who lived with her and attended the Children’s Center, worked in the dining hall, and attended summer camps as they grew up. She considered her efforts in various capacities as service to Christ and had the gift of making every person she met feel welcome and part of her family. She, in turn, became family to many communities over the course of her life. Lucille was preceded in death by her loving husband of over 51 years, Paul William LaDue; her parents, Nathana Laura Cameron and Fred Posey Pulliam; her brothers and sister, Frederick Cameron Pulliam, George Daniel Pulliam, and Alice Elaine Pulliam Diehl. She is survived by her son Ronald Paul LaDue Lake, Washington, DC; her daughter Laura Jeanne LaDue Nix (Gustavo), Bolivar, MO; her son Bruce William LaDue (Stacia), Milton, FL; her daughter Mary Renee LaDue Bergfalk (Christopher), Washington, DC; her sister Tania Joy Pulliam Gray and husband Jerry, Wichita, KS; ten grandchildren; and numerous great grandchildren. A memorial service of celebration will be held Saturday, July 15th at 10:00 am, at the First Baptist Church in Bolivar, MO., with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her honor to the Alzheimer's Association (P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011) or to the Green Lake Conference Center (W2511 State Road 23, Green Lake, WI 54941). Interment will be private. Butler Funeral Home in Bolivar, MO, is in charge of the arrangements. Friends may sign the guest book or send private condolences at https://www.butlerfuneralhome.com

L. Lucille LaDue

June 25, 1934 - June 18, 2023