Teacher's friendliness appealed to her students, the community

7/13/2003

AYERSVILLE, Ohio - Beulah “Bunny” Miller Meyers LaLonde, a longtime teacher who loved meeting new people, died July 3 at the St. Francis Health Care Center, Green Springs, Ohio. She was 77.

Mrs. LaLonde of Norwalk, Ohio, had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's Disease.

She taught home economics classes for 27 years at the high school and junior high in Ayersville.

“She was very caring. She developed a lot of close relationships to her students,” her daughter, Elizabeth Beach, said.

Some students visited Mrs. LaLonde's home in the summertime, and she worked with students outside the classroom as advisor of the local Future Homemakers of America club.

Her friendly demeanor appealed to students, her daughter said, and some of them liked to joke with her. When Mrs. LaLonde's classes found out “Bunny” was her husband's pet name for her, they started putting bunches of carrots on her desk and bringing her chocolate bunnies at Easter.

Students were not the only ones who appreciated Mrs. LaLonde's kindness. She made many friends in the community, and often helped her neighbors run errands.

“If someone needed a ride to the doctor or something, she would volunteer,” her daughter said. “She could talk to a complete stranger and make a friend.”

Mrs. LaLonde graduated from Vermilion, Ohio, High School and Bowling Green State University. She taught a few years in Vermilion after finishing college.

For many years, Mrs. LaLonde taught Sunday school and sang in the choir at Ayersville Methodist Church.

She enjoyed playing cards and volunteering at the Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky, where she gave tours.

Mrs. LaLonde spent winters in Zephyr Hills, Fla., for many years. During her time in Florida, she sang with the Gems Sunshine Group, a singing group that performed at churches, nursing homes, and hospitals.

She was married for more than 40 years to James C. Meyers, who died in 1989. About five years ago, she married Robert J. LaLonde.

Surviving are her husband, Robert; daughters, Jacqueline Meyers Harris and Elizabeth Meyers Beach; eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

There will be no visitation. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Stephen's Church of Christ, Sandusky. The Toft Funeral Home & Crematory in Sandusky is handling arrangements.

The family requests tributes to St. Francis Health Care Center, the ALS Association, or the Merry-Go-Round Museum.