Lucille Evelyn Barratt

Lucille Evelyn Barratt

Lucille departed this earthly home to join her beloved husband and her Lord, Jesus Christ in her heavenly home on February 9, 2013.

Lucille was born on April 26, 1913 to Fred and Grace (deBest) Baker in Port Oneida. On September 9, 1938, she married the late Jack L. Barratt who was the great grandson of Carsten Burfiend, the original settler of Port Oneida. They celebrated 69 years of a blessed marriage when Jack left this world in 2008 for his heavenly home. Her father Homesteaded his farm in 1910 in Port Oneida. She lived her entire life on this farm, only leaving to follow Jack to South Manitou Island while he served in the United States Coast Guard and again for two years in Southern Michigan as he learned his carpentry skills.

Following high school, Lucille attended the National College of Education in Evanston, IL for three years during the Great Depression, and received her Michigan Life Teaching Certificate. She went back in 1960 to receive her Bachelor's Degree in Education. Before marrying Jack, she taught in Leland and Bessemer (in the Upper Peninsula). Lucille continued teaching in this area at Empire, Glen Lake, the Leelanau Schools, the "little red schoolhouse" on M-22, Cedar, Maple City, and Glen Lake Community Schools. She retired from teaching kindergarten in 1976 after 34 years of love and devotion to the children of Leelanau County. There is a saying in the area, "If YOU didn't have Mrs. Barratt as your kindergarten teacher, then your children or your grandchildren did"!

Besides a full time job teaching, Lucille helped, first her father, and then her husband, tend the 500 acre farm in Port Oneida. They raised crops of hay, oats, wheat, and corn which sustained their livestock of chickens, cattle, sheep, pigs, and a large stock of horses which were mostly bred and raised on the farm. Lucille enjoyed a life-long love of horseback riding and taught the skill at nearby Camp Kohahna for over 45 years. She and Jack were known to have the best string of camp riding horses in the state.

From rescuing shipwrecked sailors on Lake Michigan to years of teaching, both kindergarten and horseback riding, Lucille's memories are many and varied. For those who knew her well, it was never a surprise to hear her say that life contains many wonderful things and so much fun. She often would counsel that "life is what you make it". She was a Charter member of Glen Lake Community Reformed Church where she taught Sunday School "forever" and was a member of the choir and assisted in many other activities at church. Her faith was her strength and patterned her life. In retirement, she and Jack enjoyed traveling, both nationally and internationally. She was adept at sewing, knitting and other needlework, gardening, and served many years on the Maple Valley Nursing Home Auxiliary.

Lucille is survivied by her children, daughter Laura Lee (Ron Winkler) Dezelski of Lakewood Ranch, FL and Port Oneida; and son, Colonel Fritz Barratt of Port Oneida; granddaughters, Jacki (Mike Kennedy) Dezelski of Bradenton, FL; Christi Dezelski Lowe (Major Joey Lowe) of Bad Windschiem, Germany; and grandchildren, Micah Kennedy and Lucille Kennedy of Bradenton, FL. She is also survived by two sisters; Ruth Oleson of Traverse City and Greta (Alex) Fisher of Knoxville, TN.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. The family asks that contributions be made either Glen Lake Community Reformed Church or to the Friends of the Sleeping Bear c/o Fritz Barratt.

Please sign Lucille's online guestbook at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com . The Family is being served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.