Earl LaLone as a young man, click to enlarge. Photo courtesy of LaLone family
Posted 2/27/12 – Earl William LaLone, 86, of Sierra Madre, California, passed away at County Villa Health Services in Duarte, California, at 7:30 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012, after a year long battle with cancer.
Earl was born to Fred LaLone and Marguerite Vega LaLone on May 5, 1925 in Sierra Madre; he was the youngest of eleven children. Earl is survived by his wife Margaret, daughter Marsha, son Christopher, grandson Philip, granddaughter Melissa, grandson Travis (and his family) and granddaughter Heather (and her family). He is also survived by his sisters Alice McCarron and Francis Finley.
He graduated from Monrovia High School in 1943, and immediately joined the United States Army Air Corps and served to the end of World War II as an airplane mechanic. After the war, Earl joined the California National Guard and again served his country, after being called up during the Korean War.
Earl married Margaret Stevens LaLone on November 10, 1950…they were married for more than sixty-one years. While raising their children, their home on Ramona in Sierra Madre served as an important gathering place for the greater LaLone family, helping to keep a very large family together for decades.
Earl was a manager at Florence Ceramics, where he worked for 25 years. He worked for many more years at an electronics company and then at an oil company. He was a founding member of the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team where he participated in hundreds of rescues over 22 years.
Earl also dedicated more than fifteen years to help with the youth baseball program in town, serving as Little League President and manager of several Minor, Major, and Pony/Colt League teams. He was active in renovating Heasley Field and the construction of Dapper Field.
He was recognized for his “Outstanding Service” to the city in 1973 when he was named Sierra Madre’s “Citizen of the Year”.
Earl was an avid hunter and fisherman who hunted and fished in nearly every state in the west. If he had a favorite place to hunt and fish, it was in Modoc County in Northern California. He also loved to travel with Margaret in their Ford Pickup and Lance camper. Of the 48 states in the continental U.S., they traveled through 46 of them, including a 2 month stay in Alaska.
Earl loved his family and he placed a great deal of importance in his friendships. If there were two positive traits that stood out over all others, it was Earl’s ability to connect with people and his desire to give.
Earl’s life made a significant impact on the lives of the entire LaLone family and he will be dearly missed.
On Saturday, March 24, from 1:00 to 5:00p.m. , a gathering of friends will be held at the home of Linda Canzoneri, 121 S. Lima, Sierra Madre.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team in honor of Earl LaLone.