LOTTIE E. FORD (nee Czerpa). Age 104. Beloved wife of the late Harry. Loving mother of Rosalyn Kalinoski (Kenneth), Marlene Ford (formerly Trocheck then Blendenhofer), Steven Ford (Maryann) and David Ford (Cindy). Beloved grandmother of 9, great grandmother of 14 and great great grandmother of 3. Dear sister of Alice Furmanek and the following deceased; Stella Wolff, Joseph, Walter and Edward Czerpa and Violet Smith. VISITATION FRI. 1/29 FROM 7-9PM AT ZABOR FUNERAL HOME 5680 Pearl Rd., Parma.
FUNERAL MASS SAT. 1/30 AT 10AM AT ST. JOHN BOSCO 6480 Pearl Rd. Parma Hts. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a donation be made in Lottie’s honor to Holy Family Home and Hospice, 6707 State Rd, Parma, OH 44130 or to a charity of your choice. FOR MORE ABOUT LOTTIE’S LIFE, VIDEO http://drive.google.com/
On January 18, 2021 when God asked the euphoric band of Angels in Heaven to play a Polka,
Lottie gently left the Earth to go up to join the celestial dance. Mom was tenderly met by her
favorite dance partner, her loving husband of 53 years, Harry Louis Ford, who preceded her to
God’s state of eternal joy in 1991.
Lottie was 104. She was born in Cleveland on February 23, 1916 to Haeronim Czerpa and Aniela
(nee Misiak) Czerpa. Lottie always had a strong and comfortable relationship with God. Her
joyful spirit and love of life was contagious. She collected baseball cards and was a very
talented seamstress. She loved to sew, embroider and do bead work. Through the years she
created many beautiful bead-embroidered pictures for family members to enjoy. She was a
very good cook and anyone who walked through the door was always invited to sit down and
enjoy a meal.
Lottie is survived by her four children and their spouses: Rosalyn Kalinoski (spouse Kenneth) of Sarasota, FL; Marlene Ford (formerly Trocheck then Blendenhofer) of Tampa, FL; Steven Ford (spouse Maryann) of Morristown, NJ, and David Ford (spouse Cindy) of Avon, OH. Our childhood home on Marvin Avenue in Cleveland was a very happy and noisy home filled with constant fun, laughter, music, love, and plenty of good food, especially walleye and perch from Lake Erie. Lottie also leaves nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren.
Lottie is survived by her sister, Alice Furmanek. Their brothers and sisters anxiously waiting to
greet Lottie in Heaven are Stella Wolff, Joseph Czerpa, Walter Czerpa, Edward Czerpa and Violet
Smith.
Our entire family is eternally grateful for the wisdom, guidance, patience, understanding,
humor and unconditional love that Mom had for all of her family. She always encouraged us to
enjoy life to its greatest potential. She was, and forever will be, a great role model for all of us.
We will miss her dearly.
Messages of Condolence
My deepest condolences to every one of you. Lottie was such a sweetheart. I had the pleasure of being her aide for a number of yrs. She had a very special loving way about her. We would watch baseball games together if I had some down time,she was so excited when they played. I also remember around Christmas we would turn up the music station on the tv. so everyone could get in the mood on the floor. Also loved sharing those blooming onions with u. Lotty,u will be forever be loved in my heart. God truly gained a loving angel. Much love to the family for sharing ur mom with me.Always,DebbieMolnar.
Dear Dave, Rosalyn, Marlene & Stephen; and families;
Very sorry for your loss. A mother is irreplaceable, and having yours for long has to make it in someways, more difficult. Remember well the poker games & gatherings at Ed & Alma’s, my eldest, Scott coming back elated because of a ride on Uncle Louis bus, his words.
Great family memories from way back when, 60’s, 70’s. Last saw your Mom at Alma’s funeral 2 years ago, she looked well, and Dave, what an outstanding job caring for her, very obvious that day.
A donation to St. Jude will be made in honor of your beloved mom.
Prayers,
Linda M. Ford and family; Scott, Jay, Kari and Kris and all our family; spouses & grandchildren. May God Bless.
Dear Roz, Marlene, Steve and Dave,
So sorry for your loss. I will always remember Aunt Lottie’s gentleness, sparkling eyes, bright smile, wonderful hugs and the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet! She was one in a million and I am sure she is sharing her joyful spirit with all of heaven. Much love and big hugs. Rich
I met Lottie in 2016 when I called The Normandy and asked if they had anyone who might enjoy hearing books as I love reading aloud. We met every Wednesday and in the beginning I read The Plain Dealer or articles about famous people… i.e. Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor. After a few months we stopped reading and just started to visit together. My mother died when I was 22 and Lottie felt a lot like my mother might have at her age. I told her about my children, my disappointments, my proud moments and she shared hers as well. Being with her became one of the highlights of my week and we both looked forward to our time together. She kept updated on current events, had opinions and shared them when asked and told wonderful stories about her husband and four children, her love of sewing and dancing to Spanish Eyes. It was my honor and privilege to have known her.
We want to extend our deepest sympathies to the Ford Family. You were all so lucky to have such a wonderful person in your lives. Lottie will be missed by everyone who knew her. From your friends and neighbors on Settlement Acres and The Normandy.
This poem really sums it all up.
Little Angel
Once upon a time, there was a baby ready to be born.
So one day the child asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there, being so small and helpless?”
God said, “Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and she will take care of you.”
The child said, “But tell me, here in Heaven, I don’t do anything else but sing and smile. That’s enough for me to be happy.”
“Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel’s love and be happy.”
“And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don’t know the language that men talk?”
“Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.”
“And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?”
“Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.”
“I’ve heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?”
“Your angel will defend you, even if it means risking her life.”
“But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.”
“Your angel will always talk about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.”
At that moment, there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the little child in a hurry asked softly, “Oh, God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name.”
God said, “Your angel’s name is of no importance. You’ll call her mommy.”
Every single time going to see grandma was always such a joyous occasion. As a child, the excitement of the large, loving family gatherings, holidays & backyard cookouts will never be forgotten. The numerous times of playing cards, Scrabble, putting together puzzles & of course, collecting baseball cards. Or just a simple conversation about how life was going at the kitchen table. Grandma always encouraged me as a young aspiring artist early on & supported all the steps in my growth. I am truly blessed to have grown as a man with not only her & grandpa in my life, but the values she instilled in her children. Uncle Dave, Uncle Steve & Aunt Roz provided such a solid extension of love & support in addition to my mother, Marlene, all as amazing influences in my life, along with so many others in this large loving family, In my eyes, it all started with grandma. We have all been truly blessed. I love you, I miss you & the beautiful memories continue beyond the grief & will always be cherished. Thank you for all that you have given, to both me & those who I love.
I work at the Normandy Care Center as an Activities Assistant where Lottie lived. I’ve known her for 9 years, she was one of the sweetest, and kindest people I’ve ever known! Whenever I used to come to ask her if she’d like to come to an activity (before Covid) she would always be up for anything and say,” okay dear” I used to have a magic show, and do science experiments, Lottie was always very supportive and would tell me she had a nice time and really enjoyed herself. Lottie would tell me I did a good job and to keep it up if I seemed unsure of how the activity went, hoping everyone enjoyed it. If I was having a bad day, I could go to her room and she always made me feel better, and I remember thinking how lucky her family was to have her in their lives , and how grateful I was to have had her in my life , to have been blessed to have known her. Lottie will be greatly missed, we loved her❤️
My deepest sympathies to her family and friends. Such a beautiful person. Such a privilege to have gotten to know her. May she rest in peace. Sandi, Hospice