Lola Diane (Fullington) Hoyt passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Lola was born on November 5, 1954 to Biancy and Clarence Fullington in Catskill, NY. A lifelong resident of Greene County, Lola grew up in Ashland, NY and had a happy childhood, spending her early years playing in the local woods and meadows, attending Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School, and playing at her uncle’s dairy farm in East Meredith, NY with her aunt, uncle, and cousins. These experiences cultivated within her a strong sense of regional identity and pride and, throughout her life, she enjoyed many outdoor activities like fishing with her father, playing outside with the other children living in Ashland, and hunting. She loved taking walks, and enjoyed walking slowly and taking her time, paying attention to the small details, and noticing flowers, birds, butterflies, and animals. She was an avid birdwatcher, and had an extensive knowledge of songbirds native to the Catskill Mountain region.
Lola attended the NCOC BOCES program for cosmetology during high school, and worked at Margaret Sokol’s hair salon for many years. She maintained her hairdressing license well into her sixties. Lola graduated from high school in 1972, and later married David L. Hoyt. They had three children, and Lola worked as a stay-at-home mother during the years when their children were young. When her youngest child started kindergarten, Lola took a job in the Windham-Ashland-Jewett school cafeteria. Eventually, she left the cafeteria and became a teacher’s assistant, working with generations of children at WAJ and forming many lifelong friendships there. Lola was known at WAJ for her fierce, no-nonsense attitude, but most importantly, for her loving, caring, maternal nature. She maintained many of her connections within WAJ school, staying in touch with friends and coworkers, and helping to run the budget vote each year.
During the time that Lola raised her three children, she emphasized the importance of reading and education with each of them, along with a love of the outdoors. She took them to pick blackberries and to feed bluegills at the pond nearby. She made donuts with them and took them on trips to Lake George, Florida, and camping in the Adirondacks. Lola also attended every event and activity they were involved in, and never missed a single sporting event. She attended every play, chaperoned field trips, and it was clear that her children were her entire world.
She continued this practice many years later when her five grandchildren became involved in sports, drama, music, and other activities. Lola was incredibly proud of both her children and her grandchildren. In addition to the love Lola had for her children and grandchildren, she was also devoted to her sister, Elaine Mattice, and her sister’s family, and she could often be found shopping with them, or at their houses for dinner, hair cuts, and family gatherings. Family was the most important facet of her life.
Lola was unapologetically opinionated, and this was part of her unique charm. She appreciated realness in people, and was known for her bluntness. She lived with conviction, and loved her family with fierce, unconditional love. When there was hardship in any of their lives, they would go to her house for advice, for one of her signature vice-grip hugs, or for her to provide some tough love if they needed it. Her grandchildren all felt that grandma Lola was their best friend. She acted as their ally in all things and, in her eyes, her grandchildren could do no wrong. As a result of the unconditional love she offered, she was loved beyond words by her children, grandchildren, and other family members and friends. Lola was a force of nature, and everything she did, she did for other people: she enjoyed throwing parties and baking birthday cakes for family members, taking care of her grandchildren, and remembering the birthdays and important events of the people she loved. She was an unwavering source of support for all of us. May we all love this fiercely and strive to be this selfless. Someone who is this alive can never truly die; she will live on in the hearts and memories of all who knew and loved her.
Lola was predeceased by her parents, Biancy and Clarence Fullington, and her brother-in-law, John Mattice.
She is survived by her loving sister, Elaine Mattice (Fullington) of Ashland, NY; her children: David Hoyt Jr.(Becky Hoyt) of Stamford, NY, Nathan Hoyt (Michele Linger) of Windham, NY, Amanda Graham (Jeffrey) of Windham and Lexington, NY; her grandchildren: Madison, Melanie, Alyson, and McKenna Hoyt, and Samuel Graham; her niece Shelly Mattice, nephew John (Lisa) Mattice, Jase and Ethan of Ashland.
Services for Lola will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 4-6 pm at Decker Funeral Home, 5312 Route 23, Windham, NY.
Online condolences may be left at http://www.deckerfh.com
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