Ann LaPietra

ANN LaPIETRA Ann LaPietra, age 73, of Marshall, owner and operator of "the kid''s place" book store in town for 20 years - a/k/a "the Book Lady", "Mrs. La", "Crazy Annie", "the Foil Lady", "the Catholic Lady for Peace", "Ma La", and "The Story Lady"- went home peacefully to her Lord on Wednesday night, January 3, 2007. Ann was born June 30, 1933 in Decatur, Illinois to Robert M. and Virginia (Lipscomb) Yoder. She graduated from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania in 1951. Ann graduated from Northwestern University''s Theater School in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science in Speech.and hopes of being the first woman in the Scene Designer''s Union. Instead, she worked for Chicago''s WTTW Channel 11 educational television , married a writer/producer and had three children! She also worked in Chicago''s western suburbs for the Camp Fire organization. That writer/producer was Anthony V. LaPietra, and the couple were married on Nov. 24, 1956 in Decatur. They and their children lived in several Chicago suburbs for the next twenty-odd years, aside from a year and a half in Athens, Ohio while Anthony earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University. After a dozen years in Glen Ellyn, Illinois the family moved to Marshall. Since then, they have been active members of the Marshall community. Ann acquired her numerous aliases - , all affectionately bestowed upon her by different friends and family- as a result of her numerous activities over the years For five years, she was the Executive Director for Marshall Camp Fire. In 1986, she was the recipient of the Michigan Middle School Parent of The Year Award from the State of Michigan. In 1989, she was awarded the Marshall Teacher''s Association Friend of Youth award. In 1986, Ann opened "the kids'' place" book store at 106 N. Jefferson Street in Marshall. She loved the children, and parents who frequented her store, which was a labor of love. If she didn''t have the book you wanted, (or she thought you should have!) she would order it. She hosted special events over each year. A favorite was the "John Bellairs Walk"in which Ann and friends escorted children and adults to the places in Marshall that inspired author John Bellair''s children''s books, and introduced some to the key characters in those books. Her "Let in the Light" event for "Banned Books Week" event was recognized by the American Booksellers Association and the Great Lakes Booksellers Association, in which she held membership, as well as by the Detroit News and Gannett News Service. Every year, Ann helped Marshall Area Community Services with their Christmas efforts by coordinating the gifting of books to children in need. She was active on the Literacy Council, and was always very supportive of aspiring authors from Marshall and the surrounding area. The store also sponsored a children''s city ball team for many years. In 1990, the Women''s National Book Association named Ann the winner of the Lucille Micheels Pannell Award - presented at the American Booksellers Association national convention- for "bringing children and books together" with the Bellairs Walk.The Walk- and later a published Bellairs Tour, since posted on line by fans of the author- also led to the placement of a historical marker at the Cronin House at 407 N. Madison Street. The marker honors "The House With A Clock On It''s Walls", the first Bellairs book set in "New Zebedee" (his fictionalized Marshall); the Cronin House inspired the book. Ann''s health forced her to close her beloved store at the end of 2006, after just over twenty years as "a resource for children of all ages." As the founder of "Little Red Hen Productions", Ann created "Marshall -Color Me Historical", a coloring book to help teach local history to children. She even had the book translated to Japanese to be distributed in our sister city of Koka-cho, Japan. Other Red Hen productions include a live-on-stage "revival" of the classic radio play "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas"; a "dessert-theatre" performance of "Love Letters"; readings of "Lysistrata" at the kid''s place as part of a worldwide theatre event for peace; and two performances of the world''s first opera written for television, "Amahl and the Night Visitors". In June of 1990 she was elected to the board of the Marshall Civic Players, "assigned" to work on youth theater. Ann was the producer for the "How To Eat Like A Child" MCP''s 1990 summer youth production. She has been a longtime member and supporter of Marshall Civic Players, Marshall Civic Youth Theater, and Marshall Friends Of The Arts. She and husband Tony won MCP''s Lifetime Achievement Award together in 1993. She also helped create and realize MFOA''s annual "Forgotten Spaces" and "Poetry in Public" events, encouraged the group to sponsor several concerts, and helped MFOA keep finding new sites for it''s annual summer art show. Ann served on Marshall''s Sister City Committee, as did two of her children who took part in exchanges. Even after her term was over,Ann continued to help gather Marshall commemorative gifts to exchange with guests from Koka or bring to Japan to present to host families there. She was a member of Marshall''s Library Board during the facility''s transition from a city to a district library. Ann was an active participant in saving Marshall''s Civic Center and transforming it''s basement into the "Downstage" performing space. She helped found Marshall''s Farmers'' Market, starting by championing the idea during the Marshall Area Focus: 2007 visioning efforts. She was a co-founder of the Marshall Peace Council of the 1980''s and 1990''s, and continued to join area peace rallies even in recent years. She was a member of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce and the Marshall Business Association. In 2004, the Chamber gave her it''s annual Athena Award, recognizing her as an outstanding local businesswoman. Ann was a member of the Marshall Historical Society, regularly serving as a Home Tour hostess (even between years when her own house on Division Street was on the tour). She was also very involved in the "Living History Tour" writing many scripts for local actors to represent historical figures from Marshall''s past. Ann had a giving and generous nature. She and her family have for many years participated in serving holiday dinners to those in need at the Washington Heights United Methodist Church in Battle Creek. She received a plaque from the NAACP in 2003 recognizing her efforts. Ann was a member of St. Phillip Catholic Church in Battle Creek-continuing the practicing faith which had made her a member of the Catholic Interracial Council in Evanston during the first few of her forty years of marriage. She has also attended St. Mary Catholic Church in Marshall. She painted the sign for the church''s first Home Tour Salad Buffet- as she had , years earlier, donated her time and talents in painting some of the figures in the city''s Christmas decorations around the Fountain Circle.. Surviving are her son, John A. LaPietra of Marshall, her daughters and son-in-law, Katherine A. LaPietra of Big Rapids, and Margaret T. "Maggie" LaPietra- Kunz and James L. LaPietra-Kunz of Baltimore, MD; 2 grandchildren, Katharine LaPietra-Kunz and Anthony LaPietra-Kunz of Baltimore; 2 brothers, Jonathon L. Yoder of Morton,IL, and Robert Yoder of California; and a special cousin, Richard Yoder of California. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Anthony V. LaPietra on April 1, 1997. She was also preceded in death by her parents, and her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Reno and Mary LaPietra, whom she also loved like they were her own parents. Friends may call at Craig K. Kempf Funeral Home on Sunday, January 7, 1PM to 8PM, where the family will be present to greet friends and share memories from 1PM to 3PM and 5PM to 7PM. A prayer service will be held at the funeral home on Sunday at 7PM with Rev. Stephen Naas officiating. Funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, Jan. 8, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Marshall at 11AM with Monsignor William J. Fitzgerald officiating. Cremation will follow services, with interment of her cremated remains in St. Mary Cemetery. The family would welcome any efforts to honor Ann''s memory by supporting her many activities, but they invite friends who wish to make memorial contributions direct them to the Marshall Community Foundation for the Ann LaPietra Fund . Assistance with memorials is available at Kempf Funeral Home. To sign the on line guest register and leave a personal message for the family, please visit www.kempffuneralhome.com.