Lula Mae Tanner

Lula Mae Tanner (Cook) was born the first child of Willie & Pearline Cook (deceased) in Palmetto, Georgia on December 26, 1923. Lula moved to Dayton, OH when she was two years old. Graduated from Dunbar High School in 1944. She attended Spellman College in Atlanta, Georgia, University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH and University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio where she studied to be a Dietician. While attending University of Cincinnati she met and married Wendell H. Tanner, Sr. (deceased). Lula had three brothers all deceased: John Lewis Cook, David Cook, Mario Cook. One sister, still living, Flossie Cook. Wendell and Lula had four children, Norman D. Tanner (Virginia), Wendell H. Tanner, Sr. (Shirley), Delores A. Scott (Roy) and Sheila Dozier (Vincent Sr.). She was the grandmother of seven: Victor Tanner (Michelle), Donesia Tanner, Antonio Tanner (Deborah), Wendlina Casey (Michael), Stephvan Tanner (Tracey), Quincy Tanner (Anita) and Tallulah Jones and a host of Great-Grandchildren and other close relatives.
Lula was a strong-willed woman and against her husband's wishes for a stay-at-home wife - she worked. She worked at McCall's where she was a Complaint Adjuster for Redbook and McCall's magazines. She was hurt on her job and had to be that stay-at-home wife, her husband knew that her accident happened because she refused to be told she had to stay home. Not only did she become a stay-at-home wife she also took in numerous kids and was a mother to a lot of the neighborhood kids. She had a heart of gold but could be stern. She was serious about raising her kids and commanded and demanded respect. She gave us a lot of love and dedication. She was raised in a family that truly believed in God and not sparing the rod. She spent most of her young life in church and studying. When she had her children she believed that they had to put God in their life and required we go to church or do a Bible study each week - her belief in God was strong but not overbearing. Lula Mae lived to be in three five generation of women pictures. She was our matriarch, we will forever remember her and miss her deeply.