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In memory of
Juleen Lumetta
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Juleen's obituary
This story perfectly encapsulates my Grandma Juleen. She could turn any run-of-the-mill day into a grand adventure, approached with a laugh and witty retort, and in earlier days a song.
My Grandma requested that at the end, her life be celebrated, not mourned, so please join us in celebrating a life fully lived, a woman vastly loved.
Juleen Lumetta was born in Dearborn (“dear-burn”), Michigan on April 15th, 1941. She spent her early years dancing and singing with her sisters, Kathy and Barbara, and day-dreaming as only young girls can do. She picked up a love for books and a zest for life, and along the way met my Grandpa Joe. Humbly academic, she graduated from Dearborn High School in 1959 and continued her education at Western Michigan University and McLean’s College of Secretarial Science, where she earned distinction for her speed and accuracy in typing.
After five years of “going steady,” Juleen and Joseph Lumetta were married in 1962 and quickly started a family. Together, they have five children: Jeffrey, Amy, Sammy, Susan, and Bert. Simultaneously, to make ends meet for their growing Italian family, Juleen and Joe started a printing company, Creative Printing. Despite the ups and downs of parenthood and entrepreneurialism, Grandma navigated life with her characteristic curiosity, humor, cunning, and love, always love.
The large Italian family continued to grow with us grandchildren – there are 20 of us. Nevertheless, we consider ourselves to be the luckiest kids in the world. No other kid could compare with “well my Grandma is a muzzle loading sharp-shooter.” As children, she slyly got us to do our chores and eat our food through story and song, underpinned by her whimsy. To help her make bread, she taught us girls that “kneading dough made your boobs big,” and when asked why her boobs weren’t big, she quickly responded “it’s because I didn’t listen.” To encourage us to eat our crust she made up a song about how if you don’t eat your crust it will come back and eat you. She once spray painted the butts of the chipmunks in her yard blue and red and told us it was so they’d make purple babies. She taught all of us how to play poker the “right way” – sunglasses on no matter the season or time of day.
Our Italian family grew even further with the birth of her three great-grandchildren, her “little lights.” Grandma loved being a Mom, a Grandmother, and above all a Great-Grandmother. I once asked her what it felt like to experience three generations of her family and she replied with “pretty special.”
Grandma Juleen taught us all how to live life with adventure, laughter, music, story, and above all, love. She will be dearly missed, but we take peace in the fact that she passed on July 11, 2020 just as she requested – surrounded by her large Italian family.
We love you very much Grandma Juleen. Don’t you worry, while it won’t quite be the same without you, we will continue to approach the adventure of life united by family and with your spirit, laughter, and love.
--Danielle
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In lieu of flowers
Please consider a gift to American Cancer Society.
$866.00
Raised by 11 people
Recent contributions
Recent contributions
In lieu of flowers
Please consider a gift to American Cancer Society.
$866.00
Raised by 11 people
Recent contributions
Recent contributions
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Created with love by
Jeffrey Lumetta (Juleen's son).
