Lola Lee (Pangborn) Gollinger

Lola Lee Gollinger, age 89, of Munising, died peacefully on Monday morning, January 2, 2023 at Munising Memorial Hospital where she was surrounded by her loving family. She was born on October 15, 1933 in Munising to Everett and Adeline (Kaufman) Pangborn. Lola grew up in a little house in Frog Hollow. Her father died when she was just a little girl and Addie was left to raise their three children. Still in school, Lola and her brothers learned how to fend for themselves at an early age while Addie worked. Addie later married Mearle “Mac” Disbrow and he stepped in their lives as a father. Lola attended Badger Business School in Green Bay, Wisconsin shortly after graduation from Wm. G. Mather High School in 1951. When her high school sweetheart, John “Jack” Gollinger, returned home from the Navy in 1955 they became engaged. They were married on June 9, 1956 and together raised their six children in the house they built on Superior Street in 1965.

Lola became employed at the Peoples State Bank when their youngest child Lisa started kindergarten. She worked as a bookkeeper until she retired and was a member of the bank staff for over twenty years.  She and Jack were avid golfers and inaugural members of the Pictured Rocks Golf and Country Club. They loved golfing together in couples league, Friday night fish fries and socializing with their many friends in the community.

Lola loved to golf but she loved to compete even more. Ladies league on Wednesday was her time and nothing could keep her off the course. She won the club championship eight times. Then on June 6, 2000, at age 66, she became the first woman at the club to ever score a hole-in-one. Lola golfed until she was sidelined with a broken arm at age 86.

She also enjoyed bowling league on Tuesdays, shuffle board at the Legion Club and playing cards and dice with her friends. Her faith was an important part of her life and she was a devout member of Sacred Heart Church. Lola enjoyed spending summer days with the family at Breezy Point, their camp on Mirror Lake. She loved working on projects, having cookouts or just sitting by the fire. Lola absolutely loved the sunshine. So after retirement they moved to Panama City Beach during the winter months, where they spent their time enjoying golf, beach life and the company of many friends old and new.

To say Lola was a passionate Packer fan would be a gross understatement. Football Sundays were sacred time in the Gollinger house. From kick-off to the final whistle Lola could always be found in her chair, glued to her television sometimes even sipping on a Busch Light. Lola made her last trip to Lambeau with her family on her 80th birthday where, true to her luck, she bumped into one of her heroes Bart Star in the pro-shop. She rarely missed a Packer game and watched them beat their rival Minnesota Vikings the evening before she passed. Her grandchildren were with her and said she hadn’t smiled that big in weeks.

Lola always had a lucky streak and enjoyed trips to the casino with her friends. She loved to play black jack and on her last night at the table, just before she became ill, the cards came to her. When she returned home she reached into her jacket pocket, threw her Benjamins on the table and said “Count it!”. “Oh that was so much fun!” she remarked as she recounted the evening. Lola loved being around people and never met a party she didn’t like. She loved life and lived it on her own terms. She was young at heart, with quick wit and a smile that could light up a room.

Jack and Lola were married over forty-five years when Jack died on August 19, 2001. She is survived by five children – Scott (Amy) Gollinger of Davidson, NC, Jackie (Jonathon) Parker of Oak View, CA, Paul  (Karin) Gollinger of Munising, MI, Patty (Mike) Eiseman of Munising, MI, and David (Shelby) Gollinger of Huntington Beach, CA; grandchildren – Heidi Guzzo, Kirsten Sepulveda, Daren Eiseman, Jamie Eiseman, Amara Maloof, Jack Gollinger, and Cambria Gollinger; great-grandchildren – Cayden, Ryder, Morgan, and Ryan; brother – Kenneth (Karen) Pangborn of Milwaukee, WI; and numerous nieces and nephews. Lola was preceded in death by her parents – Everett Pangborn, Adeline Disbrow, and Mac Disbrow; husband  - Jack in 2001; youngest daughter - Lisa Gollinger in 2018, and brother  - Dale Pangborn in 2008.

Services celebrating Lola’s faith and life will be held on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.  A memorial mass will take place at Sacred Heart Church with Father Michael Ocran officiating at 12:00 noon.  Interment will follow at the Maple Grove Cemetery with a fellowship gathering to take place at the Pictured Rocks Golf Course following the graveside services.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to the Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Lola's memory.