Lazella "Babe" Bacher's Obituary
Touched by Tragedy
Lazella June Sternberg was born in Tacoma, WA on May 20, 1935 to parents Fred and Wilma Sternberg. Lazella lived a typical childhood with her siblings Patricia and William in Tacoma until 1951 when tragedy struck. While filling a cracked glass lantern, it exploded and burned over 90% of sixteen-year-old Lazella’s body. It was touch and go for the teenager who spent several months in hospital in Crescent City, California. Once stabilized, she was airlifted to Portland, Oregon where she spent a year recuperating from the burns. She was told she probably would never be able to have
children.
True Love
Lazella’s boyfriend, Gerald Bacher, stuck with her during the entire ordeal. The couple, who had met through her brother Bill, married in 1953 in Crescent City, California. They lived in the same home in Tacoma most of their married life. Lazella was a loyal person who would always stand by those she loved. When adversity struck again and her husband was hospitalized with polio, she visited him every single day. Gerald’s family was of Swiss descent and Lazella’s was Pennsylvania - Dutch. The couple became life members of the Tacoma Swiss Society. Gerald and Lazella celebrated their 25th anniversary at the Tacoma Roller Bowl where Lazella had worked in the coat checkroom after her children were grown. What a wonderful celebration it was! Guests recall Lazella shoving cake in her husband’s mouth and then he did the same. Gerald treasured her sense of humor. They remained deeply in love until he passed away in 1991.
Mom to All
The proudest moments in Lazella’s life were the times she gave birth. She was thrilled when she proved the doctors wrong who said that due to her severe burns, she would never have children. Her first child Michael, who was born in January, 1955, became an angel at 18 months. In 1957, Arlene was born, followed by Jerry in 1961 and then Tom in 1963. The young homemaker stayed home to raise her children. Even though she didn’t finish school after the accident, Lazella believed it was important for her children to be well educated and pushed them to achieve. An active member of the PTA, Lazella was a Gold Acorn Award recipient. She participated in all school activities, helping at dances and making treats for her children’s classmates. It was her way of being involved with her children. Her community service was recognized through several certificates from the Mayor and past Governor. She truly enjoyed her kids who were the ‘loves of her life’ and her husband was ‘her love’. A woman whose hospitality was unsurpassed, she always baked cookies for the jar and welcomed her children’s friends into her home with an ‘open fridge’ policy. A loving person, Lazella was a second mother to her kids’ friends.
Fur Babies
An animal lover through and through, she always had a soft spot in her heart for any strays landing on her doorstep. Her home was their home. She loved her dogs Queenie, Toughie, BB and Tinkerbell and her cats Misty, Angel, Smokie, Fluffy, Sister, Bear and Yoda. Quite the menagerie!
Family Life
The high point of the year was vacation time – the family would visit Lazella’s sister and brother-in-law on their forty-acre farm in southern Oregon for two weeks in mid summer. It was only natural that the children were skaters as the family home was directly behind the Roller Bowl. Time was well spent going to skating meets. Typically on Sundays, the grandparents were picked up to go on drives to City of Tacoma parks or to a lake. Lazella loved soap operas and enjoyed watching ‘All My Children’ and ‘Young and the Restless’ – twice a day. Although she liked gospel music, country music was her favorite. Her most relished foods were pizza, bean soup and all holiday fare, especially turkey and ham. She enjoyed sipping a well-steeped cup of hot tea or a frosty Coke.
Sense of Humor
Although not a drinker, Lazella’s sons decided to play a joke on her while she had a nap on the couch. The boys raided the liquor cupboard and placed bottles all around their sleeping Mom. The pictures they took and showed to the neighbors convinced them she was an alcoholic. It was a good thing she liked to laugh and was a bit of a prankster herself. When she was young, she and her friend Bev would drive around and squirt people with water just for a few giggles.
Family Circle
Lazella ‘Babe’ Bacher passed away on March 19, 2012. She was predeceased by her son Michael, husband Gerald, sister Patricia Cox and brother William Zimmerman. Lazella is survived by her daughter Arlene Franklin, and sons Jerry Bacher and Tom Bacher.
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