Ellen L. Conklin's Obituary
Ellen L. Conklin, of Whitehall, passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours of Sunday May 7, 2023, at the age of 98. A prayer warrior, mother, and teacher of so many within the Whitehall school system, she will be missed.
Ellen was born January 25, 1925, to Otto and Louise Wirth in Evart, Michigan. She grew up on the family farm helping her mom and dad with the many chores of farm life including caring for their draft horses, Colonel, and Queen. She and her siblings Kathryn, Marge, Ruth, Audrey, and Bob attended Cherry Grove School, a one room schoolhouse not far from their farm. She went on to attend Central Michigan University, obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She began her teaching career in LeRoy, Michigan, teaching several grades in the small school there. She eventually moved to Whitehall and began teaching first grade and would continue to do this for almost 40 years. Shortly after moving to Whitehall, she met and ultimately married L. Carl Conklin and they were together until 1976. During this time, they had two children, Leon Conklin of Grand Haven, Michigan and Carole Martin of Falmouth, Maine.
Ellen stayed very busy after retiring, travelling all over the world with her sister Kathryn. They made several trips to Europe, one to China and one to Japan plus multiple trips all over the United States. One of her greatest joys came from helping children learn and grow. She became busy helping children with reading at McMillan School as part of the adopt a reader program and helping with Sunday School and other programs through her beloved Fruitland Covenant Church. Ellen was a member of the Dirt Daubers Garden Club of the White Lake area and helped to beautify many of the gardens in the area. Ellen became an active participant in the Prayer Partners program of her church and assisted many with needs through the years as a prayer warrior.
As her health declined, Ellen moved to Lakeshore Assisted Living in Grand Haven where she received fabulous care from the many caregivers who helped her. A special thanks to Trudy Abraham for being her guardian angel there during this time. Hospice of North Ottawa Community was brought in for the last year of her life and provided wonderful support to her and her family.
Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Otto and Louise; sisters; Ruth Noble, Audrey Joslin, Marge Carmichael, and Kathryn Rajecki; and twin grandsons, Kyle and Jacob Conklin. She is survived by her brother, Bob Wirth of Ithaca, New York; son, Leon (Brenda) Conklin of Grand Haven; daughter, Carole Martin of Falmouth, Maine; grandchild, Jared Conklin; step-grandchildren and one great step-grandchild.
A FUNERAL SERVICE for Ellen will be 11 AM on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at Fruitland Covenant Church (4283 N. Weber Rd., Whitehall, MI 49461). VISITATION with the family will be held 1 hour prior to the service. Interment will take place at the Oakhurst Cemetery in Whitehall. Ellen was very environmentally conscious and would ask everyone to consider donations to one of her charities instead of flowers: Baruch Ministries (Lakeshore Assisted Living Centers), Fruitland Covenant Church, White Lake Community Library (for children’s books) and Hospice of North Ottawa Community.
Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services is honored to be serving the Conklin family. To share special memories with the family and sign the online guestbook, please visit www.sytsemafh.com.
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