Beatrice Ann Fritzen

If you knew Beatrice "Bea" Fritzen, then chances are you know that she never met a stranger, or at the very least someone who didn't become her friend. With her cheerful personality and joyful attitude, she made it very easy to be her friend. Bea was generous and kind, never boastful, yet always proud of her family. Her true calling in life was as a wife, mother, grandma, and great grandma. And with a caring and nurturing spirit, it was a role in which she shined. She was attentive, but not too doting, involved in their lives, but never intrusive, and loving, but never overzealous. All in all, she was dedicated to the well-being of her family, and cherished every last minute she had with them.

The story of Beatrice's life begins on May 4, 1922, on a farm in Comstock Park, Michigan. Arriving at the start of one of the most prosperous decades for American families, Bea, as most called her, was one of seven children born to Peter and Martha (Steinbrecher) Zerfas. While her father worked first as a postal worker and then as a farmer, her mother cared for their home and the children. Both Bea's mother and father had tough jobs to say the least, and the responsibility of running a farm and a household was not lost on the Zerfas brood.

From a very young age Bea would learn the value of hard work and responsibility, as each child was given their share of the daily chores. From milking the cows to mucking the stalls, Bea did her part, but that is not to say she liked it. In fact, she hated the long hours of grueling labor and preferred to do just about anything else. The entire family, which had moved in the early 1930's to Allegan County, attended St. Mary's Catholic Church, not far from the farm in the town of New Salem, where they were members. Bea also attended the local elementary school, where she was already a shining student. She won a spelling bee and later, when she went to Allegan High School, she was active in drama and earned leading rolls in school productions. She was a member of quite a few extracurricular groups, many of which she became the head of after a short time. Bea had a very likeable personality that made her easy to get along with and earned her many friends.

1940 was a big year in Bea's life; not only did she receive her diploma from Allegan High, but she also renewed an aquaintance with a young man by the name of Donald Fritzen. This was hardly the first time they had met however. When Donald was the ripe age of 15 and Bea was 13, she used to come in to the general store owned by Donald's uncle and aunt in New Salem, where he would ofen be hanging out; and it can safely be said that this is when the bubbly Bea "caught Donald's eye"! But it took Donald and Bea until 1940, meeting again at a party of some joint friends, to actually begin dating and they continued to date over the next two years. They dated until he was drafted to serve overseas in World War II. Their relationship, however, continued during the war and they kept in close contact with letters. Bea also continued her education during this time, enrolling in classes at Davenport School of Business where she earned an Associate's degree. She was a bright student who could type nearly 135 words per minute, so it came as no surprise when the Roosevelt Administration offered her a job at the White House. Although success was important it was not nearly as important as her responsibility to family. Bea turned down the job to care for her ailing mother, who died of cancer in 1944. Just a few years later, in 1951, she also lost her father to heart failure.

Donald was drafted in 1942 and two long years of separation followed. Donald spent two years in training at Camp White in Oregon and several months in North Africa and Italy fighting the Germans, where he was seriously wounded; he returned to the U.S. eventually arriving in Percy Jones Hospital in Battle Creek, mid 1944, badly broken up but looking foward to seeing a certain Beatrice Ann. And sure enough, while the hospital may not seem a romantic setting to most, Bea did not care. With Donald's arm in a cast and a brace on his leg, she proudly wed her soldier on November 24, 1944, in what was a most memorable Thanksgiving Day. By early August of 1946, Donald had made a decent recovery and was finally discharged to his new home with Bea, a duplex on Canton St. in Grand Rapids.

While living on Canton, the first of the couple's two children was born, Robert, on August 19, 1946, while the second son, Terry, was born on May 3, 1952 in a different house on Kirkland Street where they lived until 1954. Donald worked for McInerney Spring and Wire, the same company that had employed him before the war. A short time after Terry was born, the family decided to leave their duplex and purchase a house at 927 Fairfield NW in Grand Rapids, which they still own today. Bea did everything she could to make their new house a home. She was a fabulous cook and baker, who made the best down home meals around. She firmly believed that a solid meal consisted of meat and potatoes, and she made great pork chops, kielbasa, and the best oatmeal cookies around. Bea was also a great wife to Donald and mother to her boys. She was loving and dedicated to their wellbeing, and supportive of everything they did. In the summer the family liked to take vacations, often visiting family friends in northern Michigan or taking in the attractions at Wisconsin Dells. Although Bea had coped with and was bothered by Rheumatoid Arthritis since her childhood, she never let it get in the way of her job as a wife and mother.

After both boys had graduated from West Catholic High School and were off pursuing their academic interests in College, Bea had more time to pursue some of her favorite leisure activities. She was a voracious reader, especially when it came to a good western novel like the ones by Louis Lamoure and Zane Gray. She also enjoyed the newspaper, which she read every morning, cover to cover. Her love of westerns did not stop with reading. Her favorite television shows were classics like Little House on the Prairie and Gunsmoke and her favorite type of music was country. Bea enjoyed travel as well, whether it was making a short drive to South Bend to see her beloved Fighting Irish play or driving with Donald across the country to Florida or Arizona to visit their son Bob.

Once grandkids came along Bea would drop just about anything to spend time with them. Attending baseball games and tutoring them in math, she took a very active role in their lives and cherished the moments she had with them. A few years ago Bea wasn't feeling good, so Don brought her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with heart problems. From the hospital she was taken directly to St. Mary's Living Center, then to Emerald Meadows in Ada, Michigan, and finally back to St. Mary's. Only a week ago, she was placed under hospice care; in addition to heart problems she also had a touch of diabetes. Despite the health troubles Beatrice experienced over the last couple of years, she never lost her joyful spirit or her loving heart, and it is no doubt that she continued to make friends in even the most difficult of times. She was a loving sister, wife, mother, grandma, and great grandma, who in passing will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

Mrs. Beatrice Ann Fritzen age 84 of Grand Rapids, passed away at St. Mary's Living Center on Monday morning, May 29, 2006. She was preceded in death by her sister Lorraine and her brother Reynold. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Donald Fritzen; her children, Dr. Robert and Rita Fritzen, Terrence Fritzen; her grandchildren, Dr. Scott (Hanh) Fritzen, Wendy (Donald) Hensel; her great grandchildren, Grace and Luke Hensel and Kien Fritzen; her brothers, Frederick (Annie) Zerfas, Robert Zerfas, Jerome Zerfas; many nieces and nephews and many friends.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Spirit Catholic Church (meet at church) on Friday morning June 2, 2006 at 10:00 AM with procession to Rosedale Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet her family on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM, at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW with a vigil service at 7:00 PM. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Autism Asperger Assn. of West Michigan. To leave your own memories of Bea and to sign her guest book, please visit her personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com