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In Memoriam: Floretta Adelaide Keith Lauber
Arcadia Weekly Aug 02, 2016
Chief Washington at a recent formal ceremony honoring fallen firefighters. Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
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Floretta Lauber. – Photo by Terry Miller
Floretta Adelaide Keith Lauber passed away peacefully in Arcadia, on Aug. 1, 2016.
Born in Sierra Madre on June 18, 1926 to Helen Jewell Keith and Boyd E. Keith, Lauber was predeceased by her husband, Harry Ray Lauber, and brother Boyd Bowman Keith. She is survived by her son, Lawrence K. Lauber, of Prescott, Ariz.; nephew, Craig McClain of Glendora; her precious dog, Kisses; and countless friends and colleagues.
A civic leader and community icon, Lauber began her City of Arcadia service in the 1960s as a member of the personnel board and was the first female appointed to Arcadia’s Planning Commission.
In 1974, she was the first woman to be elected to the Arcadia City Council, serving as mayor in 1976.
Her role in community causes and service organizations is legendary. She was a 55-year member of the Arcadia Woman’s Club, serving as president three times and continuously working to preserve and support the historical clubhouse on First Avenue. In her final days, she commented that when she entered the clubhouse foyer she “felt warm and at home.” Members of the Arcadia Woman’s Club recently placed a memorial bench in the clubhouse garden to celebrate Lauber’s devotion to her beloved Arcadia Woman’s Club.
Lauber was the charter president (from 1981 to 1983) of the Alpha Auxiliary of Methodist Hospital and an honorary member of both Arcadia Altrusa and the Arcadia Lions Club. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, earning its prestigious Historic Preservation Recognition Award in 2014. She was a member of the Assistance League of Arcadia, the Arcadia Community Coordinating Council, and Friends of the Arcadia Public Library. She was a life member of the Arcadia Historical Society, serving as its president from 2001 to 2002, and was an eight-year member of the city’s historical commission, which later became the museum commission.
In 2005, Lauber was honored by the Chamber of Commerce as Arcadia’s Citizen of the year, and in 2014 was the recipient of the Arcadia Chinese Association Community Services Award.
A strong supporter of the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage, in 2010 Lauber established and served as president of the Arcadia Historical Museum Foundation and was the leading force in the design, fundraising and building of the Arcadia Museum Education Center which was completed in 2014. To further support and enrich the museum and the museum education center, Lauber founded the Friends of the Arcadia Museum in 2013.
For nearly 20 years, Lauber was the social editor for the Beacon Media News, using the byline “Social Whirl,” enjoying immensely the opportunity to give praise and exposure to local organizations and individuals for their community involvement.
A viewing will take place on Aug.10, between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., in the Monroe Room at Douglass & Zook Mortuary, 600 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia.
Funeral services will be held at the Sierra Madre Congregational Church, 170 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, on Aug. 11 at 10 a.m., with burial following at Live Oak Memorial Park in Monrovia. A reception will follow at the Women’s Club of Arcadia, 324 S. First Ave., Arcadia.
Donations may be made in Lauber’s honor to the Woman’s Club of Arcadia (PO Box 660861, Arcadia, CA 91066) or the Arcadia Historical Museum Foundation (PO Box 661514, Arcadia, CA 91066).
