Helen Lucille Warnock February 1, 1933 – November 11, 2024

Lou was born in 1933, the surprise gift to her mother Clarine, father Fred, 16-year-old brother Fred Junior, and 12-year-old sister Janet. She was beautiful, smart and delightful, a ray of sunshine at a very dark time in America, which was in the depths of the Depression. When she was five she contracted rheumatic fever, the convalescence giving her ample time to explore the imaginative stories and books which informed her life. My Storybook series was an important feature in her creative imagination, and her collection of Storybook Dolls. When she returned to school, her abilities were soon recognized and she was skipped a grade. At 13, she had the pleasure of attending a college preparatory boarding school for girls in Berkeley, California, where she unsuccessfully attempted to learn to smoke and play tennis. It was a very formative time for her and she cherished the experience. 

Lou attended UCLA, creating her own major of politics with an emphasis in public relations, and joined Alpha Kai Omega sorority where she made lifelong friends. In December 1954 her roommate, Barbara, asked Lou to join her and her fiancé Stewart for cocktails at the beach, as she was to be maid of honor in their upcoming wedding. Stewart’s handsome older brother Hugh came along, and it was that fateful day that Hugh & Lou fell in love on the beach in Malibu, California, beginning 69 years of marriage, family, and wonderful adventures together. Her first job was in sales with Mary Louise Schmidt of The Building Center, a modern architectural service in West Los Angeles, where she was able to enjoy her passion for design and architecture. The young couple soon moved to Seal Beach where their three daughters Julie, Stacy, and Lexi were born and grew up along the beach. She joined the Junior League of Long Beach, making long-term friendships while engaged in philanthropic work, and was an active volunteer for various political campaigns. In 1967 she fulfilled a dream when she and Hugh designed and built a contemporary home on Davenport Island in the active waterfront community of Huntington Harbor. For 50 years Lou was a cherished member of the tight knit community and was a friend to many.

Having an astute and curious mind, Lou decided to get her real estate license once the girls were all in grade school, becoming not only a source of challenge and joy, but a highly successful career that spanned 35 years. Ranked at the top of her field, it brought together her love of people and a desire to help families find just the right home, and allowed her to enjoy her interest in architecture and design. There was always a steady flow of family and friends in their lives, and she was greatly loved for her trademark humor, kindness, and sharp wit. Some of her favorite pastimes were gardening, entertaining, travel, and reading the LA Times from cover to cover. 

Finally retiring at age 75, Lou remained active socially, practiced yoga, wrote for the Harbor Lights magazine, travelled, and enjoyed her five beloved grandchildren Mico, Remi, Will, Serafina, and Annabelle in Seattle and Santa Barbara. In 2018 she and Hugh moved close to family in Santa Barbara where they thrived in the community at Maravilla, participating in tai chi, art classes, and especially enjoying the music. As she developed some cognitive decline from mini strokes, her beloved Hugh was always by her side. Throughout their lives they were love birds, holding hands and exchanging sweet I love you’s, inspiring all who knew them. She is survived by her husband Hugh who misses his “Smeed” terribly, and by her loving family Julie Proctor, Stacy Pulice, and Alex Furlong.

Her spiritual practice, which included meditation, visualization, and affirmation, sustained her to the very end, and she died peacefully with a beautiful smile on her face. She was an elegant and graceful woman to the very end.  

Donations can be made to: The Malala Fund