Louise Carol Lampman

A devoted early childhood educator, lifelong learner, and beloved friend to many, longtime Toledo resident Louise Carol Lampman died peacefully on Sunday, December 11th, 2011 at Toledo’s Hospice of Northwest Ohio, surrounded by friends. She was 89. The oldest of three children born to Rudolph Lampman and Anna (Hartman) Lampman, Louise was born January 16th, 1922 and grew up in Berea, Ohio. Following graduation from Berea High School she acquired a bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1943 and began a career as an early childhood educator, working with children at the Detroit Children’s Hospital, the Sarah Fisher Home in Farmington, Michigan, the Lois Hatch Nursery School in the Cleveland area, and the Cleveland Day Nursery. She furthered her training at Detroit’s Merrill-Palmer School and did graduate work in theoretical and clinical psychology at Case Western Reserve (then Western Reserve University) in Cleveland. Eventually Louise moved to Toledo, where she taught children and supervised staff at the Toledo Day Nursery for two decades. She was ahead of her time in applying psychology to her work with the children there. Upon retirement she moved to Port Charlotte, Florida, where she cared for her sister Betty (George) Chapman, who died in 1981, and continued to care for her mother, who passed away in 1986. Louise’s father died in 1970. In 1990 Louise returned to Toledo and went back to school, for personal enrichment. She attended many courses in the areas of European history, German literature, and religious studies, through the University of Toledo’s Program 60 for seniors, and at Lourdes College. Raised Methodist, with Catholics in her extended German-American family, Louise was a deeply spiritual person who appreciated multiple Christian liturgies and traditions, including Franciscan spirituality, Orthodox iconography, and Lutheran teachings. She was a longtime member of Reformation Lutheran Church in Toledo, where she felt at home. Her interests and talents included music and art; throughout her life she enjoyed creating portraits and still life in various media, including pastels, watercolors, pencil drawings, and woodcuts. Louise opened her home in Toledo to many people when they most needed a loving place to stay. Whether at the “Motley Crew” Thanksgivings she and friends from Corpus Christi University Parish and UT celebrated together, or at the many other group meals in Louise’s home, all were welcome, including persons with developmental disabilities, of multiple faiths, and of different races, orientations, and ethnicities. On two occasions Louise took people into her home due to illness, in one case rescuing a neighbor who was alone and failing, in another case allowing a friend’s parent to receive Hospice care in her home. Her generosity was repaid in later years by loving friends who supported her through the illnesses and infirmities that come with advancing age. Louise is survived by her brother Harold Lampman of Punta Gorda, Florida, his sons Steve and Garry, and their families; a niece Doris Sedlak, Doris’s son William Sedlak, and cousin Beth Morrison, of California; cousins Donald and Carolyn Gaffney, in Massachusetts; her sister Betty Chapman’s stepchildren; and by many dear friends from school days in Berea and Toledo, who mourn her loss. Louise will be sorely missed by her family of closest friends in Toledo, who cared for her and enjoyed her company throughout the last decade of her life: Don Baker, Roberta Jaskolski, Sandor Halasz, Chuck Terbille, and Eileen Condon. Thanks are extended to all those who visited, called, and cared for Louise as she transitioned after February 2010 through rehabilitation, assisted living at West Park Place, longterm care, and Hospice care in Toledo. Visitation takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. at Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 South Reynolds Road, Toledo, on Sunday, December 18th. A funeral service follows on Monday, December 19th, at 11 a.m. at Reformation Lutheran Church on Douglas Road, between Sylvania and Laskey, in Toledo; the church will open its doors 10 a.m. to allow relatives and friends to gather before the service. As Louise was an avid gardener, flowers are welcome, as well as contributions to Reformation Lutheran Church or Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

Louise Carol Lampman

January 16, 1922 - December 11, 2011