Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Allen, Eleanor L. (Meyers) (Vergeson) 2007 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net May 27, 2011, 12:01 pm Portland Review & Observer, 4 Feb 2007 Eleanor Lois Allen, 82, of Sunfield, passed away peacefully Jan. 26, 2007 under the loving care of her family at the Hospice House of Mid-Michigan in Lansing. Eleanor was born June 23, 1924 on the family farm in Sebewa Township, Ionia County to Harold (Harry) A. and Mattie (Bailiff) Meyers. Eleanor attended Sebewa Center School and was a graduate of Sunfield High School, Class of 1942. During these high school years she had to help on the family farm with chores as well as housework because her mother had died in 1939. She recalled that her father forbid her to learn to milk and take care of the dairy herd, because if he didn’t her brothers would try to get her to do these chores while they went to town! But she really thought he wanted her in the house so there would be a good hot meal ready. Actually her education was very important to her father and after graduation she worked at the Lansing Reo plant where she was an inspector on the “Bomb” Line. In 1945 she married Delbert (Bud) Vergeson and they were the owners of several gas stations in Lansing. One of the gas stations was a Marathon Station at 332 Shepard St. and a second was a Gulf Station in Partnership with his brother-in- law Harold Meyers at Hillsdale and Butler streets. Eleanor would recall how she would clean spark plugs and do other small repairs while Bud would use the whole garage area to disassemble an automotive transmission, repair it and reassemble the whole thing in one day. Later they owned a Texaco Station in Portland until his death in 1969. Eleanor also worked for many years at the J & J Variety Store in Portland. In 1976, she married Al Allen, retiring to Harrison, where they both enjoyed traveling (she had visited 49 states), fishing, entertaining their children and grandchildren, as well as many friends, neighbors and other relatives. It is at this time at the age of 52 that she “took up” the game of golf and enjoyed many happy hours on the links and watching the “Pros” on television. Although she loved northern Michigan, Al’s sudden death in 1987 caused Eleanor to return to Portland and several years later to her childhood hometown of Sunfield. It was at this time that she transferred her membership from the American Legion Auxiliary Harrison Post 404 to the Portland Unit 129. She loved reunions, get-togethers, church, luncheons, putting together jigsaw puzzles with the help from what she called her “puzzling friends”, knitting and crocheting. She made many afghans and lap robes for family, friends, and new babies and donating them to various charitable and veteran organizations and hospitals. She was also a member of the Sunfield Red Hat Society, Sunfield Senior Citizens and other local organizations. She was preceded in death by her parents as well as her husbands, Delbert (Bud) Vergeson and Almerian (Al) Allen; brother and sister-in-law Howard and Leona Meyers; a nephew, Darrell Meyers; and also a niece, Patricia Meyers. She is survived by her brothers, Harold (Maxine) Meyers of Charlotte, Wesley (Lucille) Meyers of Sunfield; and sister Ardell (Richard) Ward of Lake City and Harlingen, Texas. Also surviving are step-children, Deborah (Randal) Tooker, Jim (Sandy) Allen of Holt, Margaret Hill of Grand Ledge, Mary Abernathy of Jamestown, Ky., Sandra (Mike) Robinson of Rutherfordton, N.C. and Barbara (Mike) Lundy of Lakeside, Ariz. as well as many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held Jan. 31 at the Rosier Funeral Home, Mapes-Fisher Chapel, Sunfield, with Reverend Jeffrey J. Schrock officiating. The family is being served by the Independent Family Owned Funeral Home in Sunfield: Rosier Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Eaton County Meals on Wheels, or the Sebewa Center United Methodist Church. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/a/allen12476nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.4 Kb