Lilla May Compton left this earthly home for her heavenly one on June 6th, 2026, just one month shy of her 99th birthday.

Born July 6th, 1927 in Greeley, Colo., Lil was the youngest of four daughters. She met her late husband John Kent in high school, was married and had two sons, Ken & Jerry. 

She and her husband grew flowers commercially, and Lil became adept at designing arrangements for the florist shop there, something she enjoyed doing throughout her life. She could grow anything, was a Master Gardener, and always had a garden and beautiful houseplants everywhere she lived. A firm believer in alternative medicine, she made her own salves, oils, etc. and thought there was almost nothing that comfrey, cod liver oil or duct tape wouldn’t cure.

In her youth she roller-skated competitively (which is where she learned to fall without hurting herself!). She was a graceful dancer, a great bowler, and a great golfer, as evidenced by the many trophies and awards she collected throughout the years. A very independent and hardworking woman, she raised her sons mostly on her own, working many different jobs, but bartending was perhaps her favorite. She “learned a lot about people” there, she always said.

After Ken joined the Navy, Lil and Jerry moved around a bit, finally ending up in Paonia, Colo, on a working ranch with her friend Karla Tschoepe. Farther down the mesa was a 40-acre property with a 2,000-tree apple orchard owned by Bert & Becky Tucker, with a beautiful home that Lil began cleaning, and then lived in while they spent time in Mexico.

She eventually moved to a little cabin on the property and ended up managing the orchard for several years. She loved to tell how God helped her in the orchard when she was all on her own, and she often said that God had always taken good care of her throughout her whole life. It was during this time that she also bought and worked in the Malt Shop in downtown Paonia, where many young people were affected by her no-nonsense motherly love and counsel. She later bought and ran a gift shop and beauty shop a few doors down.

Her son Jerry moved to the Lighthouse Ranch in California in 1979, was married, and eventually started a family. Lil moved to the nearby town of Willow Creek, Calif., where she was active in the golf course, worked for the Ruckers at their orchard and property there and in Eureka, and then was called up to Whitefish, Mont., to care for an ailing relative. She lived there for 15 years, caretaking the Lindeburg’s property, volunteering at the hospital, bowling, making & selling jewelry, and enjoying friends.

In 2011 she moved to Eureka, Calif., and eventually moved in with her son Jerry and his wife Martha, where she lived with her beloved white Maine coon cat, Babe. She continued to bowl well into her 90s, gardened indoors and out, and enjoyed feeding and watching the birds outside her window. Lil also made sure to remember every single birthday of her 2 sons, 5 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

As Lil could not bring herself to attend funerals, even for family members, she wished there to be no public service. Her family will gather privately to scatter her ashes.

The family wishes to thank all the Hospice nurses and staff who so diligently cared for Lil in her final weeks; Rachel Hatchimonji, NCP and Timothy Pentecost, DDS, who cared for her for years with such patience; and our extended church family who have cared for and held us up in prayer all along the way. We give thanks for God’s great love and the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Lilla Compton’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.