Ella Lemmen Lawless
With great sadness, we announce the passing of Ella Lemmen Lawless, age 87, at Brookdale, Ormond Beach, Fla. A longtime Florida resident, Ella went peacefully in her sleep Sunday night, May 31, 2020.
Born in East Moriches, N.Y., Aug. 5, 1932, Ella attended and graduated from East Moriches schools and continued her education to become a licensed cosmetologist in New York, N.Y. She married Matthew Lawless Oct. 28, 1951, and they moved to Riverhead, N.Y., and raised eight children.
In 1980, Ella and Matt moved to Florida, first to Brooksville, then Deland, finally settling in New Smyrna Beach. Sadly, Matt passed away July 31, 2001, only months before their 50th wedding anniversary.
As a woman ahead of her time, Ella began her career as a hairstylist in Jamesport, N.Y., and continued to find new successes for her creativity in interior decorating and fashion design. Later in life, her artistic talents blossomed as she fell in love with watercolor painting, becoming a multi-award-winning artist and beloved teacher, active in the New Smyrna Beach arts community. She continued to experiment with her art through acrylics and mixed media.
Ella will be remembered to her family and friends as loving life, laughs and ice cold moscato wine. She was always up for the next adventure — close to home (Zephyrhills) or far away (Italy), it didn’t matter as long as there would be fun, good food and good times. But most of all, she loved her family and spent as much time with them as she could.
Ella is survived by her eight children: Deborah Lawless, Susan Lawless (Richard) Glassman, Matthew (Juliana) Lawless, Diane Lawless (Joseph) Cabalquinto, Kathleen Lawless, Michael (Karen) Lawless, Richard (Nancy) Lawless, Kerri (Scott) Lawless; 15 grandchildren: Samantha, Lauran, Kathryn, Zoe (Susan), Matthew, Kristina (Matthew), Isabel, Seth (Diane), Michael (Kathleen), Jennifer, Sarah, Michael (Michael), Annabeth, Marycate, Jamilyn, Rac (Richard) and Camille (Kerri); and three great-grandchildren: Abe, Anika and Irene.
She is also survived by her siblings Josef (Janet) Lemmen, Elizabeth Hamlin and Erick (Janet) Lemmen.
Due to current health concerns, the service will be planned and confirmed for a future date.
This is a paid notice.
