Evelyn Martindale

Evelyn Martindale was a generous and loving woman who always put the needs of others before her own. Whether it meant cooking meals for her friends from church, or participating in walk-a-thons to raise money for people in need, Evelyn enjoyed sharing her time and talents with the people she loved—especially her family.

1924 was certainly ‘roaring’ with energy! While Calvin Coolidge led our country, Americans across the country were tuning their radios to hear the jazzy tunes of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” It was also in that year that movie goers had the unique opportunity to view Walt Disney’s first cartoon Alice’s Wonderland. Despite the excitement of the year, for Abraham and Rena (Vanden Broek) Steenhagen of Grand Rapids Michigan, the most memorable event of 1924 was the birth of their daughter Evelyn on October 24th. Born in the middle of three children, Evelyn was fortunate to grow up in a loving, healthy, wholesome home located on 907 Frederick St NW. During the Depression when many families were struggling to put food on the table, the Steenhagen family was able to enjoy a relatively “normal” lifestyle because of Abraham’s job as a city assessor. While Abraham worked to support the family, Rena stayed at home to devote her time to her children. The Steenhagen family was very proud of their rich Dutch heritage, and was always careful to teach their children Dutch values and traditions. Therefore, religion was always important to the Steenhagen family and while Evelyn was growing up, they regularly attended Wallin Congregational Church. As a girl, Evelyn attended Stocking Elementary School before continuing her education at Union High School . Since the time Evelyn started school, she was a very social young lady. In kindergarten she met another little girl named Marge, and they remained close throughout Evelyn’s entire life. Together Evelyn, her siblings, and Marge would enjoy playing outside and running in the fields near their home. During high school, she met Harriet, Mary Jean, Gwen, and Dorothy who she also became lifelong friends with. Though she enjoyed the social aspects of school, Evelyn was also a dedicated student; she loved all of her classes but her favorite was definitely home economics. Evelyn worked hard in school and it paid off. At a time when many young women were leaving school after the eighth grade, Evelyn pursued her education, graduating Union High School in 1942.

After high school, Evelyn took a job at Bell Telephone working in the clerical office, and later took a job in the clerical department at Columbia Moving and Storage. Although Evelyn was busy with work, she luckily had time for fun. On what would prove to be a fateful night, she decided to attend a social dance at the YWCA. At the dance, Evelyn caught the attention of a young man named Bill Martindale. Romance soon bloomed between the young couple, and after a couple of years of dating, they were married on August 20, 1949 at the Wallin Congregational Church. Following the wedding, the newlyweds made their home at 901 Garfield NW and later moved to 1918 Seventh NW. After a couple of years of marriage, the couple celebrated the birth of their only son Brian on September 23, 1952. When asked about the impact of his birth, Brian would smile and say it was the greatest day of their lives. From the moment Brian was born, Evelyn was a dedicated and loving mother. Throughout Brian’s schooldays, she was very active in his life. Whether it meant being a “Den mother” for his Boy Scout troop, or helping out at school, Brian knew he could always count on his mother to be there when he needed her.

Not only was Evelyn an excellent mother, she was also a great homemaker. A talented crafter, she enjoyed both sewing and knitting, and each year she would knit winter gloves for Brian. When Evelyn wasn’t making crafts, she could often be found cooking pineapple cookies, cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls. She would always look forward to Sunday dinners when she would have the opportunity to make a big meal for her relatives and friends to enjoy after church. Evelyn enjoyed being able to cook for the people she loved, but she also liked just being able to spend time with them. She enjoyed get-togethers centered on playing golf, cards, and other games with friends. One of her favorite traditions were the yearly camping trips; each year friends would gather in Pentwater to camp for a week on the Fourth of July and again for another week on Labor Day. Evelyn also enjoyed numerous trips with her brother and sister’s families, as well as her daughter-in-law Sharon. As far as Evelyn was concerned, Sharon was just one of the family and Sharon reciprocated the feelings referring to her as “The best mother-in-law ever!” Quite often Sharon ’s parents would join Evelyn and Bill for holidays and other special events. Considering her feelings for Brian and Sharon, it was not surprising that Evelyn loved her grandsons dearly. As soon as Jeff was born in '83 and Steve in '85, they became the apples of her eye. Jeff recalls that whenever he came to visit her, she would take the opportunity to spoil him. He has fond memories of his grandmother offering him even more food after big meals, or sending him with a plate of goodies just in case he got hungry later.

When Evelyn wasn’t busy caring for her family, she enjoyed pursing a variety of other hobbies as well. She painted with oils including a beautiful picture of the Tahqaumanon Falls . A gifted musician, Evelyn lent her beautiful Soprano voice to the Church Choir for years. If she wasn’t making music, she was often listening to it, she especially loved the 40’s and 50’s music she grew up with. A social person, together she and Bill were involved in both Kiwanis and Kiwana Queens. Later when Bill joined the board at Pilgrim’s Manor, Evelyn served on the Ladies Guild. Throughout her life, Evelyn was dedicated to her faith. She always considered church to be one of the most important parts of her life, second only to her family. A life long member of Wallin Congregational Church, Evelyn served as a Sunday School Teacher, a Deaconess, and as a member of both the Ladies Guild and the Women’s Fellowship. Church became especially important to her when her son moved to Midland to start a career. Though she talked to him often, it never seemed like enough for her.

In February of 1987, Evelyn faced another challenge when Bill died. After his death, she, her sister Arlene, and their friend Lucille spent a lot of time traveling. Together they toured Europe, Japan, China, and Canada . She was certainly a world traveler for someone who never lived more than a mile from the house she grew up in! In order to keep busy on the long plane rides to exotic locations, Evelyn would often bring along games to play on the trip, if she didn’t bring a game, she would usually make one up! Evelyn was always a creative woman. After each of her trips, she always brought back so many presents that she often had to buy an extra suitcase! She loved spoiling her grandsons Jeff and Steve!

After 80 years of a full and loving life, Evelyn Martindale died on Friday July 15, 2005 She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill. Evelyn is survived by her son, Brian (Sharon) of Midland, MI; grandsons, Jeff and Steve of Midland, MI; sister, Mrs. Arlene Schwartz of Traverse City, MI.; brother, Bob (Doris) Steenhagen of Lakewood, CO; nieces and nephews, Nancy, Karl, Kurt, Cindy, Debbie, and Jim; and special friend, Ben Kolkman. Evelyn was a lifetime member of Wallin Congregational Church, 1550 Oswego N.W., where her service will be held at 11 A.M. on Monday, July 18, 2005. Friends and relatives may meet her family at the Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr., today from 2-4 P.M. and 7-9 P.M. and on Monday for one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Rosedale Memorial Park . Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you can read Evelyn’s Lifestory, leave a memory, or make a memorial contribution to Pilgrim Manor Foundation or Wallin Congregational Church.