Visitation:
Pending
Service:
Pending
Funeral home: Peasley Funeral Home, Atlanta
Obituary
Ann Marie "Marian" Applegate , 80, of Atlanta, Ill.
died Friday, August 8, 2014, at Memorial Medical
Center in Springfield, Illinois.
Ann Marie is survived by her husband, John; son
David Applegate ...of McLean; daughter Linda (Tom)
Applegate of Houghton, Mich.; two sisters: Irene
VanDeVelde of Tavares, Fla., Pauline (Jack) Forman
of San Diego, Calif.; sister-in-law Virginia
Freiwald of Clarendon Hills, Ill.; brother-in-law
and sister-in-law Richard and Betty Applegate of
Atlanta; sister-in-law Priscilla Archibald of Ojai,
Calif.; sister-in-law Phyllis Carlson of Grand
Rapids, Mich.; grandsons: Aron Applegate of
Bloomington, Nathan (Erica) Applegate and Evan
Applegate, both of LIncoln; special "daughters"
Melissa Lee of Lincoln and Michelle Holmes of
Bloomington; many cousins, nieces and nephews all
whom she adored and special relatives in Finland.
Ann Marie was preceded in death by her parents; one
son: Eric Applegate; brothers-in-law: Sidney Forman
of San Diego; Oscar VanDeVelde of Tavares, Fla.;
brother-in-law and sister-in-law Albert and Phyllis
Applegate of Tallahassee, Fla.; brothers-in-law:
Robert Carlson of Grand Rapids, Mich. and Richard
Archibald of Ojai, Calif.; aunts, uncles, nieces,
nephews and cousins.
Ann Marie was born June 17, 1934 in Bruce Crossing,
MIchigan, a daughter of Paul and Mayme Kemppainen
Westerinen. Ann Marie graduated from Southeastern
High School in Detroit, Mich. in 1951. She then
applied to work for the F.B.I. , but had to wait
until her 17th birthday to become eligible to work
for them. She was then hired to work in the "steno"
pool. Later she had her own private confidential
office to take dictation for confidential cases.
In 1954 she met John at the U.S.O. where she was
volunteering as he was stationed in Detroit in the
U.S. Army. They were married in Detroit on November
19, 1955 at Messiah Luthern Church officiated by
Pastor Loeber.
Ann Marie and John then moved to Atlanta to live on
the farm and raise their children. She worked at
several businesses through the years as a secretary
and was an excellent waitress. Ann Marie had served
on the Eminence Township Election Board for over 20
years. She had been a clothes designer since a child
when she began drawing designs on paper. This led to
various artistic endeavors in her life at one time
designing and making hats with Mrs. Alberta Amrhein.
She was also a seamstress making clothes for her
daughter through the years. Ann Marie had also
designed and crafted unique pins and magnets for
several years. She also was a weaver making rugs,
scarves and runners on a loom as her mother and
grandmother had done. |
Ann Marie had made several trips to Finland starting
in 1970 with her mother. She had many relatives in
Finland as both her parents were of Finnish
heritage. She always kept close correspondence with
all her Finnish relatives.
Ann Marie had done many presentations about Finland
in schools and organization. She would educate
people about Finland and Finnish culture as her
Finnish heritage was very important to her.
Ann Marie enjoyed many trips to Salolampi, the
Finnish Language Village in Bemidji, Minn., even
though she was fluent in the language. It immersed
her in Finnish culture and was part of the Salolampi
"family." She did this with her daughter and one
time was joined by both her sisters.
Ann Marie was an avid cook and always preserved the
vegetables they grew in their huge garden. She
always fed anyone who was around on the farm working
and was especially famous for her lasagna.
Ann Marie was active with school organizations,
including the committee that formed the Olympia
School District in the late 1960s.
Dear to Ann Marie's heart was the place of her
childhood home, the Upper Peninsula of Mich. John
and Ann Marie took their children to the U.P. as
often as they could through the years. Spending time
in her home in the woods where she was born and at
her sister Irene's cottage on Lake Gogebic with all
the family members were her favorite things to do.
A memorial graveside service for Ann Marie will be
held Sunday, August 17, 2014 at 1 p.m. E.D.T. at the
Bruce Crossing Cemetery, Bruce Crossing, Mich. Lunch
to follow at Twilly's Restaurant in Bruce Crossing.
A memorial service will also be held in Atlanta at a
later date.
Memorials may be made to Salolampi Foundation, P.O.
Box 14480, Minneapolis, MN 55414-0480. This
foundation gives scholarships to children to attend
Salolampi Language Village to learn the Finnish
language and culture.
Final arrangements are entrusted with Quiram-Peasley
Funeral Home of Atlanta.
Click here to send a note of condolence to the Applegate family.
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