René Halverson

Friends were always very important to René Halverson. She made them easily, and could talk to just about anyone. It wouldn’t do to mistake René’s niceness for blandness, however - she always had an opinion, and was not afraid to share it (diplomatically). Clever, artistically gifted, generous and talkative, René was a pleasure to be around. Throughout her life, she met many people along the way, and was blessed with not only many rewarding friendships but also a large, loving family. René led a full and joyful existence, never letting herself miss out on any of life’s opportunities.

On November 24, 1933, Chester and Maxine Nichols were blessed with the birth of their first child, whom they christened René Jeanne. The Nichols family lived in Barron, Wisconsin, at the time, but moved around a lot over the years following Chester’s job in defense department factories. They spent time in Texas and Utah, but for the most part lived in Wisconsin cities. René received lots of attention from her parents, being an only child, but she was never spoiled: as a grown-up, people described her as “polite and quiet, but very friendly.” In fact, growing up as an only child may have taught René to appreciate friends outside the home, and over her life she formed many deep and long-lasting friendships. When René was fifteen years old, she was baptized and confirmed in a Lutheran church; the seeds were planted for a lifelong religious faith that would give her support and solace in times of trouble and times of joy. The years flew by, and before she knew it René was graduating in 1952 from Waupaca High School.

René attended college for a while, exploring her love of art. However, her grandmother became ill at this time and René moved to Grand Rapids to care for her. To support herself, René found work both as an operator at Michigan Bell and as a diner car hop. At the diner, it was not long before René became good friends with a young woman named Millie. As Mille got to know René, she decided there was someone else René had to meet: Mel VanderMolen. René and Mel hit it off, and after dating for a while became married. The young couple gave birth to four children, although their second child, Mark, died in infancy. As René’s new family grew, she left her job to become a full-time homemaker. René was a wonderful mother and homemaker – she was very active in her children’s lives, supporting them in school and extracurricular activities. She also had a natural flair for home decorating, no doubt due to her artistic temperament. Painting, wallpapering, decorating – it always looked great, and René did all the work herself.

This first marriage ended in 1976, but it wasn’t long before René found love once again. She was at a dance, where she met a man named Milton Halverson. It was amazing how much the two had in common – both grew up in small towns in the middle of Wisconsin, were of Norwegian descent, Lutheran, and had even both spent time working for the phone company. From this auspicious beginning their relationship grew, and in 1978 René and Milt were delighted to become husband and wife. In addition to a husband, René also inherited four step-children with her marriage. Understandably, it took a little while to adjust to being the mother of seven, but René was up to the challenge. She took great joy in her big family, and was able to play an active role in raising her two youngest step-children. René loved her step-children as her own, and was deeply grieved when her step-son Mark passed away in 1994.

René’s Lutheran faith remained an important part of her life throughout the years. Wherever she lived, she was an active, dedicated member of the parish, even serving as secretary for a while at Mount Olive Lutheran Church. She enjoyed using her creativity to help out, creating beautiful church banners for the seasons and other artwork, such as intricate candles. René also thought it was important to donate her time to the community. She often gave rides to appointments, and helped paint and decorate for those who couldn’t do it themselves. Very generous with her time, René was always willing to lend a hand to those in need.

In her free time, René enjoyed decorating with Milt. Together, they refinished many homes, trailers, and motor-homes over the years, moving onto a new project as soon as they had finished the previous one. She also enjoyed traveling, both by herself (to England) and with Milt (all over the U.S. in a motor-home). However, René’s greatest passion was always art. She especially loved painting, and would have done it every day if time allowed. She did paint with the Michigan Artist Association once a week, as well as painting at home. René also loved her children and grand-children very much, and kept in close contact with them. In fact, she would become worried if she didn’t hear from one of them for a few days. One of René’s greatest joys was spending time with her family and loved ones.

René had always been a doer, not a watcher. However, she was forced to slow down in 1998, when she broke a bone just below her hip. Along with her emphysema, this required her to spend much more time in the house. René didn’t mind this too much, happy to stay at home painting and entertaining friends and family members.

On July 7, 2007, René Halverson died unexpectedly at the age of seventy-three. René was a generous, creative, and warm-hearted friend, wife, mother and grandmother, and she will be deeply missed by all those lucky enough to have known her.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Maxine Nichols, and step-mother, Lorraine Nichols; her son, Mark VanderMolen; and her step-son, Mark Halverson. René is survived by her husband, Milton Halverson; her children, Scott and Maria VanderMolen, Holly Nichols, Vicki Sorensen, Barbara and Tom Najar, Robert and Amy Halverson, Cristy and Bob Lipscomb; eleven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; her father, Chester Nichols; her step-sister, Ann (Ed) Brecke; her brothers-in-law, Charles (Marlys) Halverson, Gordon Johnson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and special longtime friends.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday, July 11 at 11 a.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church, 582 Lamoreaux NW. Interment will be in Rockford Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with her family on Tuesday, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, 1833 Plainfield NE. For those who wish, memorial contributions to Zion Lutheran are appreciated. Please visit René’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com share to a favorite memory or to sign the online register.