Kristin Blank ’63 Lucas
Kristin E. Lucas Hillsdale Dec. 22, 1941 July 12, 2021 Kristin E. Lucas, age 79, of Hillsdale, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 12, 2021, at Hospice of Lenawee in Adrian.
She was born December 22, 1941, in Three Rivers, Michigan to Edmund and Blanche (Bauserman) Blank. Kristin married Paul Lucas on June 15, 1963, and he survives. Kristin graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1959 and from Hope College in 1963. She received her master’s degree from the University of Illinois . In her early career, she worked as a high school history teacher in Baltimore, Maryland and as a math teacher in Tiffin, Ohio. Kristin, Paul, and their three daughters made Hillsdale their home in 1977.
Kristin’s passion for serving those in need was evident in her dedication to Domestic Harmony in Hillsdale where she was a founder and the executive director for 19 years and, after she retired, continued as a board chair, board member, and tireless fundraiser. She served on the board of the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic Violence and testified at hearings for the Michigan legislature. She was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church for 44 years, serving in many capacities including treasurer.
She was also a volunteer and coordinator for Trinity’s King’s Kupboard Food Pantry, a board member at St. Peter’s Free Clinic, the organizer of Girls, Too an annual math and science event for middle-school girls, and a tax-preparer in the VITA program at the Community Action Agency. After catching the travel bug in the late 90’s, she and Paul enjoyed many trips to Europe, and cherished the year they spent in Bratislava, Slovakia, where they taught at a Lutheran high-school during the 2001-2002 school year. As Kristin once wrote, one of her greatest joys was working with so many talented and caring people in the different programs with which she was affiliated. She was a champion of volunteerism and lived by the principle that God-given gifts and talents must be used not solely for ourselves but especially for others. For her daughters, in particular, Kristin modeled a strong woman who used her talents to fight injustice in the world. Kristin was a loving, caring, and giving wife, mother, and grandmother.
In addition to her husband of 58 years, Paul Lucas, Kristin is survived by three daughters, Karin Lucas of Chicago, Anne (Eric Palmer) Lucas of Cincinnati, and Mary (Joe Aardema) Lucas of Grand Rapids; six grandchildren, Ella, Owen, Lucas, Jack, Adelaide, and Lauren; one brother, Graydon (Lora) Blank of Gaylord; and four nieces and a nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents.