By Tom Marshall
The Divel family has lived in San Clemente almost from Day 1.
The Divel Mortuary (now Lesneski Mortuary) was one of the first businesses in town. It was the sixth building built here. Roy Divel founded the funeral home and ambulance service in 1927, when the town’s population was merely 300.
Town founder Ole Hanson demanded that it be built on the outskirts of town.
Various Divel family members have been community leaders for the past 90 years. Currently, Lois Divel is San Clemente’s Matriarch. Her nephew, Rick Divel, is town Patriarch.
The Matriarch and Patriarch are unpaid, largely ceremonial positions appointed to residents who have long records of community service.
The San Clemente Historical Society created the program with the approval of the City Council in 1989. The society selects the two candidates for the lifetime appointments, which are then formally approved by the City Council.
All of them so far have been longtime residents who have distinguished themselves in business and local nonprofits.
Bernice Ayer was the first Matriarch, serving from 1989-94. She was the town’s first schoolteacher. A local middle school is named after her.
Madge Johnson took over from 1994-2005. She and her husband owned a drapery and sign business and were well-known local activists. She was also a waitress in the day when Hollywood stars such as Clark Gable, Bette Davis and John Wayne stopped here for dinner when traveling to San Diego.
Lois Divel has served since 2005, by far the longest tenure among the honorees. Along with her late son, Fred, Lois is a founding member of the Historical Society among many other organizations she has supported since arriving here in 1938.
“This beautiful town has been special since Day 1,” said Lois. “We need to ensure it stays that way.”
There have been four Patriarchs starting with Don Divel, 1989-2006. He moved to town in 1927 and became a lifeguard, then ran several local businesses, including his dad’s mortuary. Don was Lois Divel’s husband.
Bill Ayer Jr. served from 2006-2013. He and his brother owned a local engineering firm. Their father was San Clemente’s first city engineer.
Jack Lashbrook took over from 2013-2019. As a child, he was known as one of the legendary fish cart boys who hauled fishermen’s catch-of-the-day from the pier to their cars for a quarter.
Rick Divel, nephew of Lois, has been Patriarch since 2019. He owns Divel Insurance and is a former professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He is involved in numerous local charities and nonprofit organizations.
The Matriarch and Patriarch duties include events such as laying a wreath on Memorial Day at the Community Center.
“I am honored to serve,” Rick said recently. He notes that San Clemente is a unique town known for “quaintness and atmosphere of the town and the friendly people.”
As you can see, three of the seven Matriarchs and Patriarchs are from the same family—the Divel Dynasty. Just the kind of people Ole Hanson hoped he could attract to his “Beautiful Spanish Village by the Sea.”
STORY UPDATE: A couple weeks ago, we ran a picture from the 1950s of a young boy straddling a huge black bass on the pier and asked if anyone could identify the boy. Reader Rebecca Weigel identified him as Kenny Nielson, her parents’ best friend. Thanks, Rebecca. The information will be added to the Historical Society’s archives.
Tom Marshall is a member of the San Clemente Historical Society and a retired journalist.
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