Lorraine (Lorry) Everhardus OHS French Teacher 

Died peacefully at Hospice of Lansing's Stoneleigh Residence on June 9th. She is survived by her three children Sally, Charles (Chick) and Preston (Pres); daughter-in-law Vicky; two grandchildren Sarah and Christiaan; four granddogs; a grandcat; and her beloved Buick Roadmaster station wagon. She was preceded in death by her husband Herm (Herman), her parents and two brothers, Howard and Charles.

Born in Chicago in 1915 to Swedish parents, she attended high school in Minneapolis and then college at Northwestern where she majored in French and minored in Spanish. She began a career in retail management with Sears, Roebuck and Co. in Pontiac, Michigan where she met Herm Everhardus on a blind date. They were married in Florida in 1943.

A woman of restless curiosity and a penchant for history, she spent her post-stay-at-home-mom years as a graduate student in the French Department at Michigan State University, teaching French and Latin at Okemos High School and launching The Williamstown Exchange, an antiques and consignment shop. The Detroit Free Press credited her with launching Williamston as an antiques destination in the 1970s. She graduated from the International Society of Appraiser's first accreditation class in 1985 and continued her appraisal business into the 1990s.

A long time member of the Lansing Women's Club, her cyclical presentations were much-anticipated by the membership. Her local volunteer work also included the start up of the Meridian Historical Village and interviewing residents of the Okemos area as part of an oral history project. She was a member of Zonta, active on the Corporation Board of Gamma Phi Beta and read for the blind through WKAR on the MSU campus.

The family sends special thanks to Polly Schwendener, Janet Mitchell, Carole Woodward, Ben Schwendener and all the people with whom she shared celebratory Manhattans.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Katherine's Church, Hospice of Lansing's Stoneleigh Residence or the Tri-County Office on Aging to support the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program.

A celebration of her life will be held at St. Katherine's Chapel in Williamston in early October.

Published June 23, 1974 Lansing State Journal

Published November 13, 1983 Lansing State Journal

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lsj/name/lorraine-everhardus-obituary?id=24178218