Cora Lou was born on July 22, 1930 in Lansing, MI to Henry A. Woehler and Mayme L. Woehler (DeCair). She finally surrendered her tenacious hold on life on April 1, 2015 in Okemos, MI. Cora Lou, Corky to her oldest friends, grew up in East Lansing, attended Lansing Eastern, and graduated from East Lansing High School. While raising two children, Connie and Mark, Cora worked tirelessly beside her husband to found Don Hodney Builders and she became a noted residential home designer responsible for nearly 900 homes built in the Okemos and East Lansing area. Cora also attended MSU to learn landscape architecture, allowing her to do both the landscaping and interior design on over 400 homes in Briarwood and Spring Lakes in Okemos. Her special talent was to design livable homes meeting her client's needs. Her success can be measured by the number of families who came back for second and third homes designed by Cora Lou.
She is survived by her daughter Connie (Davie) Dickhaut, her sister Sally (Bill) Bartley, sister Victoria Woehler (Ken) Murray, granddaughter Jennifer Hodney, grandsons Brian Hodney and Eric Hodney, and a number of nieces and nephews including Linda Blackburn, Kim Call, Jean Morse, Pamela Ayers, Terry Collier and Lisa Whitaker.Cora Lou was predeceased by her brother Terrance Woehler and her son Mark Hodney. Family was very important to her and she always found time for them. Whether it was making cookies with her children (and all the neighborhood children as well), taking trips to the park acting as a Cub Scout Den Mother, serving as a Brownie leader for Girl Scouts, or sledding and skiing in the winter, Cora always made time for her family. Christmas was her favorite holiday with a different theme for the tree every year. With family and friends gathered on Christmas Eve, the food, gifts and decorations were always delightful. Halloween was her second favorite holiday and the house hosted many costume parties. Cora was always full of love and support for her children and she had time and heart enough to include anyone else she thought of as family.
Cora Lou had a wonderfully creative nature that found expression in everything she touched. One of her first jobs was tinting photographs. Music was an important part of her life from singing in church choirs and in the Messiah at Christmas to filling her family's life with her joyful music. Cora enjoyed spending many of her weekends dancing and listening to live music. Always a talented seamstress, in later years she began embroidering free-hand landscapes on clothing while relaxing in her "wooden tent" on Lake Charlevoix. She also made stuffed animals for sale at local stores in addition to her "wearable art" jackets sold at local art galleries. Gardening became a passion and she created a beautiful garden-filled front yard with a water feature as a tribute to her son who passed too early. Weekends were frequently spent traveling from nursery to nursery looking for the next treasure. Cora's creative drive was present even as she spent her last days sketching the birds outside her window.
Loved by all who knew her, this woman of strong character always believed she could do anything she set her mind to--from picking up a hammer to build a custom wall panel to replace one stuck in Customs to building a cabin. Whether it was laying tile or sewing a suit or learning to landscape or paddling a canoe, Cora Lou not only believed she could do it, but she usually succeeded. Bravery in the face of adversity and pain was another attribute she displayed although only those closest to her would ever know it. Working hard and playing hard was her lifestyle. She loved to ski and when the snow would start falling she'd say pack up the car and the kids, and friends and skis would head north to the slopes. Ski trips by train to Colorado with the ski club became a mid-winter joy. Everything Cora Lou did she did with a style all her own.
Professionally, Cora Lou was active for a number of years in the Greater Lansing Home Builders Association, the Michigan Home Builders Association and the National Home Builders Association. She was an enthusiastic member of the Unity Spiritual Renaissance Church in Lansing and exercised her creative skills in designing a stained glass piece for the church altar area.
The family extends their gratitude and warm appreciation for the wonderfully caring and competent staff at the Pokemon Health and Rehab Center for their medical and physical support, enhancing Cora Lou's lifespan and quality of life for the past few years. Donations in memory of Cora Lou can be made to the Michigan Dyslexia Institute, or to EVE--End Violent Encounters, or to the Unity Spiritual Renaissance Church. A memorial service in celebration of Cora Lou's life will be held at 1:00 pm on April 18, 2015 at the Unity Spiritual Renaissance Ministries, 230 S. Holmes Street, Lansing, MI. Cora Lou was a woman of many accomplishments and was so loved by so many. We miss her and we always will.
The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, East Lansing. On line condolences may be made at:www.greastlansing.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
April 14, 2015
Dolores Foote
Dear family of Cora Lou I agree with everything you wrote about her, she was a good friend to me for many years and I admired her many talents. She was fun company and we shared many good times together. She was a kind, caring person and I was fortunate to have been a small part of her life and I will remember her always. Lovingly, Dolores Foote
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