Lucile E. Belen

Lucile E. Belen Lansing Lucile E. Belen; former Lansing City Council member, businesswoman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and member of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame; passed away on June 2, 2010 at age 97. She was born in Laingsburg to Christopher and Elizabeth Belen on December 28, 1912, shortly before the family moved to Lansing. Lucile was educated in the Lansing Schools and graduated from Lansing Central High School. She attended Michigan State College, and entered the family business, Belen's Flowers, in the early 1940s. She operated Belen's Flowers for 60 years, and established the Belen's School of Floral Design in 1950. She headed the design school until 1990, teaching hundreds of students from the mid-west and across the country. Lucile was elected to the Lansing City Council in 1955 and served continuously until 1992. She served as Mayor Pro tem, and two terms as Council President. She was elected to the Ingham County Board of Supervisors from 1957 to 1963, which included service as Chairman. She was also a member of the Ingham County Board of Health from 1964 to 1973. Over the years, Lucile had a hand in many of the region's other governing bodies, including: her appointment to the Board of Trustees of Ingham Medical Center, where she served as Chairman for ten years; the Lansing Economic Development Commission; Chairman and member of the Tax Increment Authority; member of the Capitol Area Transit Authority (CATA); two gubernatorial appointments to the State Building Commission; organizer and Chairman of the Capitol Area Council of Government; member of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission; an original member of the Tri-County Consortium; member and Chairman of the Lansing Area Convention Bureau's Board of Directors; member of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors; member of the Capitol City Airport's Terminal Board; and member of the Lansing Symphony Association's Board of Directors. Lucile was active in numerous community organizations, including the Zonta Club of Lansing, the Lansing Woman's Club, and Rotary. A recognized leader in the floral industry, Lucile was a member of TeleFlora, was elected a member of the American Academy of Florists, and was a member of the Michigan State Florists Association. She was named to the LCC Business Hall of Fame in 1982 and received the Paul Krone Retail Award. She helped establish the Michigan Floral Foundation through the Michigan Floral Association, who awarded her their Lifetime Service Award, and recently named her to their Hall of Fame. Lucile left her mark on the city in many ways. She helped bring the Lansing Community College to center city, along with the Radisson Hotel, the Cooley Law School, and the restoration of the Turner-Dodge House. She is known for taking on the State Legislature to save the trees on the Capitol grounds. Lucile's mother, Elizabeth Lehman Belen, was a nurse who ran the infirmary here for influenza patients in 1918, established the Visiting Nurse Services in Lansing, and was the second woman elected to the State Legislature. Her brother, Frederick, was the Deputy Postmaster of the United States. Lucile is survived by her nephew, Frederick C. Belen, Jr. of Oak Hill, VA, his wife, Gail, and their three children, Christopher, Daniel, and Sarah. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 12, 2010 at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel, 325 W. Washtenaw St., Lansing with Pastor Dr. Rick Martin of the Mayflower Congregational Church officiating. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery. Visiting hours will be held at the funeral home from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Friday, June 11th. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice.