Melva Wasalaski

Melva Jean (Makepeace) Wasalaski was born April 26, 1927, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the first of four sisters. When she was five, her family moved to Massillon, Ohio, and ten years later, to Plymouth, Michigan, where Melva attended Plymouth High School, graduating in 1945. On Christmas Day, 1947, Melva married Gil Wasalaski and the two began to build their lifelong home in Plymouth. They raised four children, who in turn raised eight of their own, and Melva just recently met her first great-grandchild. Melva worked for a time as a secretary, but for the most part, she was a homemaker. She enjoyed crafts and reading, and owned virtually every Agatha Christie and Perry Mason novel ever written. She enjoyed her CBS soaps and was a big fan of Raymond Burr (as both Perry Mason and Ironside) and Andy Griffith as Matlock. In later years, she avidly watched "Law and Order" and, like her daughter Linda, was a huge fan of "24". She liked bowling, the beach and camping. She traveled to Colorado, Alaska, Florida, Arizona and California. She flew in a six-seat plane over the Arctic Circle and hunted for sharks' teeth on Florida's Gulf Coast. More than any other activity, Melva loved to spend time with her family. For many years, it has been a family tradition to gather about six on Sunday evenings for coffee and whatever goodies were available at the family home. During the years Melva and Gil spent winters in Florida, Sunday nights always made her homesick, because she missed those evenings together. Holidays were family time as well, with hot dogs in the fireplace on Christmas Eve and breakfast with Mom's fried potatoes next morning, and usually at least one duplicate "Happy Christmas Anniversary" card. For many years, the family camped together, usually in July, at North Higgins Lake State Park, and then later often spent time at Grandma and Grandpa's place at Sugar Springs. Melva was always happiest when her family was around. Melva will be remembered as a loving wife, a terrific mom, a dear and beloved grandma, and a treasured Grandma GG. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Gil, by nearly four years. She leaves behind her four children, Terry (Debby) Wasalaski, Linda (Ed) Wall, Larry (Liz) Wasalaski, and Penny Wasalaski, her eight grandchildren, Jennifer Anne (Lesten) Hilkemeier, Brie Danielle (Brandon) Hoeft, Kristen Ann (Robert) Wasalaski, Jay Marshall (Jenny) Wasalaski, Carrie Elizabeth (Steve) Wasalaski, Shea Michael Wall, Kelly Joann Wasalaski, and John Franklin Wasalaski II, and her great-grandsons, Chase Michael Wasalaski and Thomas Hilkemeier, along with her three sisters, Phyllis (George) Maddox, Nancy Makepeace, and Ruby (Ray) Lawrence, two sisters-in-law, Edith (Milt) Houghtaling and Mary Jo Fuson, and numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held Thursday, August 31, 2006, from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., at Vermeulen Funeral Home on Ann Arbor Road at McClumpha in Plymouth. Funeral services will be held Friday, September 1, 2006, at 10:00 a.m., also at Vermeulen, followed by interment at Riverside Cemetery, Plymouth Road west of Haggerty, in Plymouth. To leave a message for the family, click on the Online Condolences link on this page.

Melva Wasalaski

August 28, 2006