In Memoriam: Lola Grey

Lola Grey, who dedicated her life to helping the less fortunate and who was co-collaborator of Esoteric Sign Supply, passed away January 21. She was 86.

Lola was born March 25, 1921 in Yuma, Az. She spent most of her adult life in Wilmington, CA, hosting Bible studies in her home with her late husband, Valore Russel. Many attendees credit the Greys with helping them overcome difficulty.

She taught gospel and counseled single moms and battered women at a Pentecostal Christian shelter in Santa Barbara, CA for 32 years. She was also responsible for getting several troubled men off the street and into clean, productive lives. She rescued famed Letterhead Rick Glawson and brought him to the Sunlight Christian Mission in Santa Barbara, CA. From then on, she became a maternal figure to Glawson. She even partnered with him, keeping his books and helping his sign companies turn a profit until his death in 2003.

Lola is survived by her brother, Calvin Jackson of Phoenix, and sister, Zula Jones of Modesto, CA.

Some friends reflected on Lola:

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Kent Smith, Smith Sign Studio (Greeley, CO): “I remember the first time I met Lola, she chastised me for coming to meet Rick and bringing 50 of my friends with me. That became the first Conclave, and the last time I talked to her, she was still kidding me about that. She was a constant, always with a friendly word and some friendly advice. She also was always concerned about my family and wanting the latest family news. Although she is gone, her memory will live with everyone who knew her.”

Tod Swormstedt, American Sign Museum (Cincinnati): "Lola was always the 'glue' which kept Fine Gold Sign and Esoteric Sign Supply together. It was Lola and her husband who rescued and gave Rick the support and home he needed in his early 'troubled' years: Without Lola, there might never have been a “Rick” as we came to know him. Her love and care for Rick continued throughout their time together. The saying goes: 'Behind every great man is a great woman" and my feeling was that was certainly true in Lola’s case."