It may seem that Allura Exelby Custer lived an ordinary life, but in her life hit a chord with me. Her story is about service, being a good citizen, and being part of a bigger community.
Custer was born on September 24, 1903, in Parshallville, Michigan. She enrolled at Eastern Michigan University and became a member of the Alpha chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau. In 1926, she earned a degree from the University of Michigan.
On August 23, 1930, she married Richard N. Custer. At the time of her marriage she had been teaching Latin at Central High School in Lansing, Michigan, for three years. The Custers had a son and two daughters. Custer earned Master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Michigan State University in 1957. She then worked as a school social worker for the Lansing public schools. She was active in her church and in civic organizations.
Custer celebrated 50 years of membership in Alpha Sigma Tau in 1971. From her initiation, she remained a dedicated member of the Lansing AST alumnae organization. In August of 1980, the Custers celebrated their 50th anniversary with an open house at the Lansing Knights of Columbus Hall.
In 1988, she was the only teacher able to be present for the 60th reunion of the Central High School class of 1928. At the time, Custer was 84, just five or six years older than the students she taught her first year of teaching.
In a newspaper report of that 60th reunion, Custer was quoted as saying, “I’ve read your names in the newspaper telling me of all the activities you’re involved in, and the nice things you’ve been doing for others….It makes me feel good to know that I had a small part in your life.”
Custer died on April 12, 2000 at the age of 96.
