LUCILLE THOMSEN obituary

Lucille Mildred (Dehl) Thomsen, 88, of Chester died Sunday, April 2, 2006, in Chester.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Rockman Funeral Chapel in Chester. Cremation will follow the services.

Lucille was born Dec. 20, 1917, at Chinook to Nellie Light and Albert Dehl. She grew up in Chinook and received her formal education there.

Lucille married Emil Guertzgen in 1934. They made their home in Chinook, where Lucille worked at the sugarbeet factory during the early years. The Guertzgens began raising their family of five sons before their marriage ended in divorce in 1950.

Lucille's second marriage was to Harold Mock later that year. The Mock's had no additional children during their 10 years together. They, too, lived and worked in the Chinook community and eventually divorced.

Lucille's third husband was Wallace “Wally” Thomsen, who hailed from Nebraska and was working at the Chinook oil refinery when they were married in 1960. At that time, Lucille was employed as a cook at Harry's Caf in Chinook. In 1965, the Thomsens bought the Aero Lounge in Chinook, which they owned and operated until they sold it in 1972. Shortly thereafter, the oil refinery closed, leaving Wally out of work, so the Thomsen's went looking for another business. They moved to Chester in 1972 and purchased Pappy's Bar. They operated the little tavern until their retirement in 1976, when they sold it and moved to Joplin. They made their home in Joplin from that time on.

Lucille enjoyed bowling, gardening and knitting. During her quiet time at home, she loved to read (especially mysteries), do wordsearch and crossword puzzles, and watch TV game shows. With family and friends, Lucille loved to play cards, mainly pinochle, pitch and rummy. Socially, she enjoyed playing bingo at the senior center or playing the poker machines around town. During their retirement years, the Thomsens enjoyed traveling throughout the United States.

Lucille was preceded in death by her parents; two ex-husbands; eldest son, Lawrence; sisters, Ida and Virginia; and brothers, Alvin and Woodrow.

Survivors include her husband of 45 years, Wally Thomsen of Joplin; sons, Melvin “Mick” (Claudia) Guertzgen of Thermopolis, Wyo., Dale (Sharon) Guertzgen of Randolph, Utah, Byron (Senda) Guertzgen of Louisiana, Mo., and William “Bill” Guertzgen of Joplin; daughters-in-law, Diane Guertzgen of Vancouver, Wash., and Erna Guertzgen of Chester; brother, Landis Dehl of Tallahassee, Fla.; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.