Verna L Luttrell 1926-2010

It's undeniable that my Grandma Verna was loved by so many who knew her. As a child, I remember that everywhere we went, she knew people. She was always running into former students, and they were so happy to see her.

My Grandma Verna was a big part of my childhood. She taught me about conservation, energy efficiency and the difference between a want and a need. She taught me to stand my ground, and hang onto what's important. She pointed out what it meant to be idealistic. She told me to treat myself once a week. She taught my Mother how to cook when my parents got married, and for that and much more, I was given her middle name. I have her nose, her eyes, her stature, and her metabolism. She told me once that I reminded her of her Mother, which I took to be an enormous compliment.

I think the most important thing that I have learned from my Grandma Verna is that I have choices. I may choose how to be affected by what happens in my life. I may choose my situations, my perspectives, my actions. Life is what you make of it. I was fortunate to have such a strong woman as a role model.

I have long thought that to make a difference in this world, you can do the most good by working locally, and working with kids. My Grandma Verna did exactly that. I will continue striving to live a life she would be proud of.

Article published January 20, 2010 VERNA L. LUTTRELL, 1926-2010
Teacher served on neighboring district's board
By MARK ZABORNEY
BLADE STAFF WRITER

LAMBERTVILLE - Verna L. Luttrell, 83, a retired Whiteford home economics teacher under whose watch boys and girls learned parenting and consumer skills and nutrition, died Friday in Marwood Nursing and Rehab, Port Huron, Mich. She had heart and other health problems, her son Bradley said. Mrs. Luttrell retired in 1991 after 23 years at Whiteford Middle School/High School. "She was very dedicated to her profession," said Jerry Wing, Whiteford superintendent from 1985 to 1991. She aced the transition from all-girl classes centered on home skills to the co-ed umbrella, "life-management skills." She once was honored as Michigan consumer educator of the year, said Richard Gunn, Whiteford Middle School/High School principal from 1976 to 2004. Sex education was part of her family living classes. She was on the committee to develop the curriculum. "Her kids respected her," Mr. Gunn said. "In the classroom, a lot of them called her 'Mom.' They would come to her with personal problems, because she created the climate of being open to them."

She volunteered readily for after-school committees, Mr. Gunn said. Next door in Bedford Township, where she lived, she served on the Bedford Board of Education from 1976 to 1984. After her last term, she received the Keys to Boardsmanship Award of Merit from the Michigan Association of School Boards.

Mrs. Luttrell was born Aug. 2, 1926, and grew up on a farm near Secor and Sterns roads. She was a graduate of Whitmer High School and Bowling Green State University. When her sons became Cub Scouts, she was a den mother. She continued to volunteer as they became Boy Scouts, and she received an award for her leadership, her son Bradley said. She and several BGSU classmates traveled the world. "Once she retired, she had a passion to go everywhere," her son said. She was formerly married to the late Hugh Luttrell. Surviving are her sons, Bradley, Richard, and Rodney, 10 grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. The body will be in the Reeb Funeral Home, Sylvania, after 4 p.m. tomorrow. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday in Lambertville United Methodist Church, where she was a member. The family suggests tributes to the church or the Whiteford high school library.