Velma H. Holben aged 90 passed away on December 17, 2013 at her home, cared for by her family. She was born in Cheboygan MI to Henry and Lucy Gauthier. One of ten children, she learned very early the value of hard work and cooperation with others and used this knowledge all of her life.
She worked as a young girl at a boarding house and later at the paper mill. At the start of WWII she and her sisters went to Willow Run to help in the war effort. Velma was a real life “Rosie the Riveter” and recalled those days with fondness and pride. Her sister was dating a guy who had a brother named Harley. Velma married Harley and her sister Lucille married “Bud”. After the war she moved to Grand Rapids where she and Harley built a house together working on it piece by piece after coming home from their jobs. She was working at Mc Innerney Spring and Wire until they started their family.
Almost every nice weekend the family travelled to their trailer in Lovells MI on the Au Sable River. Velma was a trooper packing the car, fixing food ahead, and then hauling wood for the campfires and water from the spring down the hill. Oh yeah, Harley was one lucky guy! In later years they would fly into Canada for two weeks at a time to fish, read and just enjoy being alone. They traveled to 49 states and Canada and Mexico and Velma took a trip to South America with her good friend Dorie Stovall. (They ate Guinea pig!) Harley and son in law Richard Meyerholtz preceded her in death.
Velma loved people, especially children. The kids in the neighborhood knew that if you went to the Holben’s a good time would be had by all! She had an incredible memory for people’s birthdays and could rattle off the dates of friend’s, their children and their grandchildren … at age 90! She had a song for every life occurrence and could recite poems from her childhood. What a cool lady to spend time with. To know her was to love her.
Velma loved doing yard work and her flowers and continued to garden through the summer of 2013. On her 90th birthday she received 197 greeting cards and had well wishes on marquees along Plainfield Avenue. It made her smile. She was a voracious reader and her favorite gifts were big bags of used books or flats of flowers.
Velma was kind, warm, loving and very funny until the very day of her passing. We children were lucky to grow up in a home filled with love laughter and song and the grandchildren had this when they came to visit. She adored her great grandson and played with him until minutes before her passing.
We will miss her loving presence in our lives and the world is a much emptier place without her.
Velma will be lovingly remembered by her children, Laurel Meyerholtz, Crystal (Jack) Kimble, Blair Holben (Betty), Grandchildren, Lisa Johnson (Ron), Matthew Johnson (Jessica), Travis Johnson (Jen), Kristen Meyerholtz, Chad Meyerholtz and Justin Meyerholtz and her beloved great-grandson Christopher; her sister Eileen Gartland (AZ) many loving nieces and nephews and friends.
Cremation has taken place and a celebration of Velma’s life will be held in February. Contributions to Catherine’s Care Center or Gift of Life of MI would be appreciated.
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