Lenora Gulbranson
April 7, 1925-October 4, 2021 (age 96)
Obituary
Lenora Frieda Gulbranson, age 96 years of Niles, Michigan, mother, aunt, devout Lutheran, cook, and flower enthusiast died peacefully at 10:43 p.m. on Monday, October 4, 2021 at Brentwood Assisted Living in Niles. Her family is grateful for the kind and compassionate care provided by the hospice staff.
She was born on April 7, 1925 in Dowagiac, Michigan to Gustav and Lydia (Skibbe) Gross, and was graduated from Dowagiac High School. She came to Niles in 1946, and was employed for many years in the Donahue and Drew Law Office at Third and Sycamore, and was later employed in the offices of the National-Standard Company.
Lenora was a member of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Niles where she also served on the Altar Guild. Arranging the flowers on the altar at church was a natural extension of her interest in flower gardening, and decorating her home’s tables with vases of fresh-cut flowers including fresh arrangements at-least monthly. She was also known for her kitchen skills, especially her bean soup and its spicy cousin, chili.
She was a great fan of the University of Notre Dame, especially its men’s basketball team and the football team, and always looked-forward to the season’s opening game. She enjoyed reading, rarely missing the daily newspapers.
On August 17, 1946 in Dowagiac she married George Louis Gulbranson with whom she celebrated the – quite remarkable – Sixty-ninth Anniversary of their wedding prior to his death on April 30, 2016. They were sadly, unexpectedly preceded in death by their fourteen-year-old son, Timothy Gulbranson who died on October 5, 1970 after an illness of only 5 days. Lenora was also preceded in death by her parents and by her siblings, Edyth Bercini and Oscar Gross.
Surviving family includes her daughter, Pamela (& Mark) Peacock of South Bend, Indiana; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral service for Lenora Gulbranson will be at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1340 Sycamore Street in Niles, with the Rev. Joseph Liss of the church officiating. Committal services will follow at the Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles. The services will be available livestreamed on the Halbritter-Wickens Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/halbritterwickensfuneralservices/.
The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday at the church beginning at Noon. Contributions in memory of Lenora may be made to Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1340 Sycamore Street, Niles, Michigan, 49120, https://www.stpaulsniles.org/. Arrangements were made at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles. Online condolences may be left at:
www.halbritterwickens.com
Lenora lived a full life, caring for law office clients and co-workers at National-Standard, cheering for the teams at Notre Dame and quietly arranging beautiful flowers, and working with fellow churchwomen to prepare for Sunday mornings. More than those activities, she loved her family, 70 years with George, only 15 years with Tim – but still daily in her heart for 50 years – and the special love and understanding between a mother and her daughter, Pam. And above all, faithful to the Creator of these blessings.