She adored her father. A tall, handsome man, who bequeathed her his sense of humor before surrendering to typhoid fever. He had little else to give and his family was left poor and broken. Little Lucille was three. Shuffled from relative to relative it was a childhood torn asunder. 

Lucille was compelled to take charge. Her mother was constantly pulled away from the family in Jamestown, New York, in order to support them. The bond between mother and daughter was unusual and unusually strong. More like sisters, they remained close their entire lives. 

DeDe didn’t have total control over Lucille. DeDe did have confidence in Lucille’s ambition. - Fred Ball (Lucy’s brother)

It was faith well placed. And Lucille rewarded DeDe’s confidence. As soon as she got her foot in the Hollywood door, she sent for the whole clan. There, on North Ogden Drive, she reunited the fractured family of her childhood. It was a pattern she repeated again and again.

(Source: heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy)