The family and friends of Lionel Jerome Ball, Jr., announces that a Celebration of Life will take place 5:00pm Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship 2085 S. Hobart Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018, Rev. James K. McKnight, Pastor and Officiant.
Lionel was born on March 13, 1957 to Lionel Jerome Ball, Sr. and Juanita J. Andrews Ball in Detroit, Michigan. Both parents preceded him in death. In 1962, the family moved to Los Angeles in search of new opportunity. He regularly attended church with his brother and sister first at West Adams Foursquare Church then at Emmanuel Temple, both in Los Angeles. Lionel accepted Christ at the age of 13 under the pastoral leadership of the late Bishop Carl Stewart, the senior pastor and founder of Emmanuel Temple.
Lionel was very creative and active as a child. The oldest of three, he was known to love the outdoors and sports, eventually joining Boy Scout Troop #175 at John Burroughs Jr. High School under the leadership of The Honorable Ralph J. Geffen, United States Magistrate Judge. In scouting he earned his 1-mile swim badge, backpacked, and rafted through the John Muir Trail. He eventually had his own scout troop while in junior high and later started expressing his love of music at John Burroughs where he played the clarinet.
In high school, Lionel was a standout full-back and linebacker on the Verdugo Hills football team. He ran the 440-mile relay and the 880 sprint. One of six Black students at the time, he was elected senior Class President. He was a member of the drama club, the Knights and Ladies Service organization, as well as the Regional Governor of the Key Club, a leadership and community service organization. He was also the recipient of the Soroptimist Citizenship Award.
Lionel’s professional creative efforts began at the early age of 16 at Verdugo Hills High with the opportunity to fill the position as sports editor for the Hearst-owned newspaper the Record Ledger in the northeast valley area of Los Angeles. This was a position he loved as it used both his physical and mental natural abilities.
In 1974, Lionel was accepted to the University of Southern California (USC) and pursued a degree in International Relations. As a student at the University of Southern California, Lionel continued working creatively for the university’s publishing office as the advertising designer for the Daily Trojan newspaper and later as an account executive. It was at USC in his sophomore year that he met Voice major Lura Daniels, a resident advisor in the Birnkrant Dormitory while distributing promotional materials as a Marketing Intern in the dorms. The rest was history. Lura and Lionel were inseparable from that point on and married while still students two years later August 12, 1978.
Lionel was known to teach members of the Black student organizations how to get advertising and sponsors for their programs. He is also known for changing the USC Black Newspaper ALLUSWE to a magazine format and increasing its campus circulation while establishing off campus distribution that included all of the local private, public and community colleges.
The McDonald’s internship led to a full-time college marketing manager position for McDonald’s Corporation for Los Angeles. Later, his responsibilities were expanded to include managing owner/operator efforts in the African and Latino communities. Before Lionel entered the entertainment industry, he developed his business sense working in a variety of management positions for General Motors, Thrifty (Rite Aid), and Ross Stores which allowed him to combine his creative skills with the corporate world. As a corporate employee, Lionel continued his education at Los Angeles City College and UCLA by completing over 100 units in film and television production—his real passion.
That additional experience made Lionel’s professional transition into the world of entertainment a possibility. Starting in post-production, it was his goal to understand all aspects of production. He eventually built an additional career as a free-lance production sound mixer, eventually working on over one hundred feature films. In time Lionel married his corporate and creative skills and made the natural progression into producing. He taught each of his children the sound trade as well as modeled an independent and unconquerable entrepreneurial spirit which each of them follows today.
In the past ten years under the umbrella of his South of the 10 Production Company, Lionel created and produced dozens of television pilots, feature films, live stage events, documentaries and industrial projects. He has amassed over 100 commercial and theatrical credits for his work.
Lionel is known for his affable nature and his willingness to help others whether connecting someone to a resource or teaching a new skill. He has mentored more people than can be named here.
Lionel suffered a major health crisis Sunday morning February 20, making his final transition early Tuesday morning February 21, 2017 after holding on for his youngest son Lawrence to arrive from DC. His wife and children Langston, Lauren and Lawrence spent time just before his passing loving him and talking to him even though he could not respond.
Lionel leaves a strong, measurable legacy in his wife of 37 years Lura Daniels Ball; sons Langston Jerome Ball (Heidi Deleon) and Lawrence Elliott Ball and daughter Lauren Allison Ball; godson Kedric Beasley; brother Michael Tyrone Ball and sister Juanita Antoinette Hall (Michael Hall); grandchildren Trinity Carmen Ball, Jonathan Eli Sullivan and Jackson Wilburn Ball; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and a host of friends and extended family.
A scholarship has been established in his name for students pursuing a degree and/or experience in film who attend USC and other local academic Film programs. For more information email [email protected].
