Luella Connelly

1931 - 2016

February 24, 1931 - March 11, 2016 Luella Connelly, 85, ended her two-year battle with melanoma peacefully in her sleep at her beloved Rancho Vista Hermosa home with family by her side. Wife, mother, grandmother, educator and entrepreneur, Luella was born in Los Angeles and lived in Southern California all of her life. She enjoyed all that California had to offer and instilled that love of the ocean, beaches and mountains in her family. Luella's passion was education, and her overlapping career as an educator and publisher spanned 60-plus years. During her 17 years of teaching elementary school, Luella founded Creative Teaching Press, known for innovative, effective and affordable materials for teachers, children and parents. Her company introduced many successful products, but she was most proud to be known as the "Sticker Lady." In 1977, in collaboration with 3M Corporation, Luella introduced Scratch 'n Sniff reward stickers and ignited the sticker collecting frenzy. Of her many awards and achievements, Luella's most memorable accolades were letters from her sticker fans. A young girl being treated for leukemia thanked her for Scratch 'n Sniff because she received a sticker "whenever they stuck a needle in." Another child, whose eyesight was impaired, wrote "what good is a smiley face if you can't see it?" Although never far from a brainstorming session for new products, Luella retired with her husband, Pat, to Gaviota, California, where she enjoyed gardening, entertaining and spending time with her grandchildren. Gardening became another one of her loves, and she spent many hours at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, earning Master Gardener status while focusing on California native and drought-tolerant plants. Luella is survived by her husband of 65 years, Patrick; her son, Jim, and daughter-in-law Diane Connelly; her daughter, Susan, and son-in-law Paul Dean; and grandchildren Will, Catherine and John Connelly and Taylor Dean. She also left her sisters, Colleen Lala and Patricia Lala, along with many nieces and nephews. Luella will be greatly missed by her family, friends, Creative Teaching Press family and industry colleagues. Her legacy will live on through the thousands of teachers and children whose lives she touched and improved.