In Loving Memory...
The Lulu G. Lemery Foundation for Arts & Expression was formed in 2006 by Alysse Rasmussen, Lu-C Leisemann, Amy Sams, and Querida Funck in honor of the family matriach, Lulu Genevieve Lemery-Funk. Lulu (pronounced "Lula") was a well-known landscape artist in south central Wisconsin where her works graced both residental and commercial properties. During her lifetime she created impressive works of art, specializing in landscapes. Her work was a prominent part of the atmosphere at the The Monroe Clinic and St. Mary's Hospital in the 1970s. Her works accentuated old world charm, inspiring the imagination of children and adults. Years after Lulu's death, a portion of the original Monroe Clinic "Heidi Mural" was salvaged from demolition and preserved in the Learning Media Center of the Northside Elementary School.
Lulu's love of music, theater and especially art was passed down to her children and shared with the community. In 1974 Lulu and her daughters undertook a project to recreate the Swiss Alps in landscape on a canvas backdrop in the historic Turner Hall for the Monroe Theater Guide's production of "Sound of Music".
Her daughter Querida recalls, "I sat at my mother's knee for hours, asking questions, as she painted. I questioned her about every bend in every branch and every color in the sky. And with patience and humor, she answered my questions, letting her imagination and inspiration unfold. She would tell me about the boy that lived in the house she was painting and how the willow tree in the foreground that bowed over the road was not bent from the wind, but instead how it was waiting for him to come walking home from school each day. The pictures she painted were more than pretty images--they were stories. This had a profound impact on the way I see the world and on my own art. It awakened my imagination and love of art."
Alysse recalls, "My earliest memories are of myself, perched on my mother’s back, combing her hair, while she read. She would laugh at the funny parts until my sisters and I would beg her to tell us what was happening. As we grew, she would tell us less and less, but oh, did she know how to whet our appetites! She had perfect timing, too. She knew exactly when to hand the book over with a “here, read it for yourself”. There was nothing that did not cross her literary path. Our house was filled with books ranging from Zane Gray Westerns and a rather risqué (for the time) collection of early science fiction to Milton Cross’ Complete Stories of the Great Operas and red clothbound books tilted The Great Works of name-any-famous-author. We trekked to the library every week. We each had our own library card and our favorite stories. ... Even when food money was an issue, my mother still managed to purchase a complete set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. What’s more, she read it, cover to cover and got us hooked as well. Looking up information was, inevitably, a family project with everyone “lending a hand” or “adding a comment”.
