Lillian Luark was born on Christmas Day, 1925, and died on Sept. 26, 2018. She was 92. She was named Hazel after her mother but went by her middle name, Lillian, for all of her life. She was born to Hazel Howard Purvis and William Benjamin Purvis in Hoquiam, Wash. She was the second of five children, her oldest sister, June Purvis Spores, preceded her in death. Her next sibling, Edward Purvis, also preceded her in death as did her younger sisters, Lora Purvis White and Eleanore Purvis Stubblefield. She lived her first six years out the Newskah and the next four years in South Aberdeen. By the end of her fourth grade school year, the family then moved to Hoquiam, Wash. and lived there until all of the children were graduated from Hoquiam High School. Lillian attended some college with a major in art but did not complete. She was instead convinced by Gerald Monroe Luark to drop out of school in order to marry him. Lillian and Gerald were married on March 1, 1947. They were married for 62 years until Gerald’s death in July of 2009. They spent the first two years of marriage living in a travel trailer until they settled down in Cosmopolis in their new home in 1949. Beginning in 1950, four children were born to Gerald and Lillian: Steven J. Luark, Douglas B. Luark, Shirley Luark and Gary Russell Luark. All four children were raised in the home on H Street in Cosmopolis and both Gerald and Lillian remained living in this home until their deaths.
Lillian (mom) was a creative woman who loved beauty and she brought that creativity and love of beauty into our home. She could take an old piece of furniture that no one else wanted and transform it into a useful and beautiful item. Our home was decorated in unique and creative ways that many other homes were not. That love of beauty extended to the outside where she was a master gardener. For many years, she had numerous flower gardens including a lovely rock garden with many succulents.
She shared that same creativity and artistic ability with so many of the organizations that she was involved with. She was an active member of PTA, the Cosmopolis Lionettes, Beta Sigma Phi and the League of Women Voters. For most of her life she was a member of the First United Methodist Church. She was a woman who was ahead of her time in so many ways. She was a staunch believer in equal rights for women and for all people. Mom could be rather vocal at times even though she was, by nature, often reserved and quiet. Her personality could be quite tart and, yet, she was a generous person in so many ways. She was charitable with her money and she gave to such a number of charities that there are too many to list. She was especially invested in giving to those charities that helped children. Mom was a hard worker and had high standards. She worked for the City of Cosmopolis for nineteen years, working eleven of those years as the Clerk/Treasurer. She was very proud of her job and took her responsibilities very seriously.
Mom loved to entertain and people were always welcome in our home. It was not unusual for there to be people other than family at holiday meals. Christmas was her birthday as well as our dad’s birthday so Christmas was a very special holiday in our home. If someone found themselves at our home at Christmas, mom always made sure there was a gift or two under the tree for each and every guest. There was always room for one more at our dinner table. Our home frequently was filled with the laughter of neighborhood children and other friends.
In addition to her parents and all of her siblings, Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald Luark and her son, Douglas Luark. She is survived by her remaining three children: Steven (Suria) Luark, Shirley Luark and Gary Luark. She is survived by her five grandchildren, Michael Airhart (Aileen Grace), Amy Airhart (Blake) Herring, Justin Luark, Saul (Bree) Luark and Nicole Luark Poehler. In addition to her grandchildren, she is survived by five great-grandchildren: Brendan Ward, David Herring, Shelby Poehler, Kailani (KK) Poehler and Wyatt Luark. She has many nephews and nieces but she had a special relationship with her niece, Sharon Spores, especially in her later years.
She will be buried in the Cosmopolis Cemetery alongside her husband, Gerald. It will be a private family service. Anyone wishing to make a financial contribution in her memory could donate to the Cosmopolis Lion’s Club or the First United Methodist Church in Aberdeen.
There will be an Open House to celebrate her life at her daughter’s home on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The home is located at 215 H Street, Cosmopolis, WA 98537. This is the same home that Lillian and Gerald lived in for most of their lives. Please come and help us, her family, celebrate her life.
