Margaret Evick

Margaret Louise “Meg” Evick, age 95 years, mother, grandmother, volunteer, and the ultimate executive secretary died at 2:06 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 with family gathered around at the home of her son in Lawrence, Michigan following an extended illness.  Most of the facts and figures for this obituary, and some of the text were written in beautiful longhand by Meg twenty years ago.

She was born on September 13, 1924 in La Porte, Indiana to Frank W. and Edna L. (Bauman) Curtis.  She was graduated from Niles High School, and attended Wheaton (Illinois) College and South Bend (Indiana) College of Commerce.  She was first employed in the office of the former Michigan Mushroom Company in Niles, and then was employed for twenty-two years as an executive secretary in the offices of Niles Chemical Paint (now NCP Coatings).  She has lived in Niles since 1929.

Meg was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Niles since 1943, and sang in various church choirs there.  She was an associate member of the Niles Musical Club, a member of the Pioneer Historical Club, and volunteered with the Pawating Auxiliary (now Spectrum Lakeland Pawating Auxiliary).  As a young mother, she volunteered as a Den Mother for the Cub Scout Pack of her sons, had participated in Polly Whitwam’s Girl Scout Troop, and volunteered with the boys’ little league baseball teams.

She enjoyed traveling, including return trips to the Great Smoky Mountains, and an amazing tour of the west coast of both the United States and Canada.  “Meg enjoyed her family, and friends.  Sending cards was rather a hobby with her, which she enjoyed.”  More recently, she enjoyed the fellowship of new friends at the Autumn House in Paw Paw, Michigan,

On October 21, 1944 in Niles she married Melvin Carl Evick with whom she celebrated the remarkable fifty-first anniversary of their wedding prior to his death on March 5, 2006.

Surviving family includes their sons, Bruce (& Nancy) Evick of Niles, David (& Cheryl) Evick of Lawrence, and R. Michael Evick of Paw Paw; grandchildren Kip L. Evick, Cody (& Mandy) Evick, Ryan Evick, and Morgan Evick; and great-granddaughter Sofia Evick.

The funeral service for Meg Evick will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at the First Presbyterian Church, 13 South Fourth Street in Niles with the Rev. Bob Bond of the church officiating assisted by Minister of Music Sarai Saint Clair who has a list of hymns requested by Meg.  Committal will follow at the Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.

The family will receive relatives and friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles.  Contributions in memory of Meg may be made to the church’s FPC Foundation, 13 South Fourth Street, Niles, Michigan, 49120, http:// http://www.firstpresofniles.org/ministry-teams/ .  Online condolences may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

Whether at home, in the corporate office, or volunteering, Meg clearly found satisfaction in organized plans, and loved to write including thousands of greeting cards and personal letters.  What made this important was to make life better for those around her, at work, at church, and especially at home.  A clipping found in her funeral prearrangements was “Wise Words” of Mark Twain: “Let us endeavor to live that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry.”  Meg  .  .  .  Mission Accomplished.