Evangeline C. Ortino's Obituary
Evangeline C. “Vange” Ortino took the hand of God and peacefully joined her beloved husband, Leo in Heaven, on Monday, January 02, 2017. She was born January 7, 1921 to her Greek immigrant parents, Nicholas and Eugenia (Mafrethas) Canellos, in New York City. She managed the household and her two brothers, George and Demetrious, while her furrier parents worked and eventually owned their own furrier shop out on Long Island. She worked her way through college during the Depression at Macy’s Department store as a cashier and received her Bachelor of Science, in biology, from Hunter College, NYC. After graduation, she worked at Sloan Kettering Hospital doing cancer research. Evangeline met her husband, Leonard J. Ortino, of Italian immigrant parents, on a blind date and they married a few short years later in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New York City on April 1, 1945, the day after Leo graduated from the Army’s Officers Candidate School in Aberdeen, Maryland. At the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Vange worked for a Colonel and Leo taught bomb disposal. It was there they began their family of two daughters, Evangeline (1946) and Stephanie (1950). After World War II, Evangeline helped Leo finish his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. She was his teammate as his career took him from mechanical engineer to owning Michigan Dynamics in Garden City, Michigan. They moved from coast to coast and in between for a total of 21 moves! They had 67 years of a loving, wonderful, marriage with exciting adventures. They developed many life-long friendships from their college and Army days and their travels around our country and all seven continents. Vange and Leo finally settled down in Dexter, Michigan, after crisscrossing the country. They had many wonderful neighbors like Bill, Debbie, and McKenzie next door. They enjoyed them like their own kids. After Lynn and Stephanie started school, Vange became a full time substitute teacher from kindergarten through community college. That allowed her to be at home when the girls got out of school each day. The various staffs enjoyed having her around as much as the kids did. Vange had as much fun with the kids as they did with her. She was strict and fair. The kids respected her for that. It could be heard around the halls of school when she came, “Watch out here comes Ortino!” They loved her sense of humor, making hard things easy to understand and just being a prankster with the best of them! So great was her love of teaching that she actually taught Chinese students English when they traveled to Neigang, China, much to everyone’s delight. Her favorite pastime was her immediate and extended family but she also enjoyed sewing and could whip up everything from shorts to a prom dress overnight, if needed, and even Halloween costumes for the grandchildren! She also loved growing plants, which were all over the house, even in her bathtub where, “the light was best!” Wherever Vange went, she was an inspiring role model, hardworking and caring for everyone whose life she touched. She had a strong faith in God and loved to listen to the aides as they read Scripture and prayed with her. She always ended with a loud, “Amen!” She was always there for anyone who needed her. Vange cared deeply about the welfare of her wonderful aides, especially if they seemed down or upset. She’d pull down their shirts in back and then give them a friendly pinch! Evangeline is survived by her daughters, Evangeline (Dr. Richard) Edlund of Muskegon and Stephanie (Dr. Kyle) Kittleson of Williamston, Michigan; granddaughter, Lori Grabiec, with great grandsons, Ethan and Alex Grabiec of Taylors, South Carolina, grandson Richard Edlund, of Muskegon, Michigan; three dear sisters-in-law and many loving nieces and nephews. Vange will also be missed by her many friends near and far around the world and more recently, the wonderful angels the Lord sent to take care of her these last few years. She leaves a huge hole in our lives and very full hearts with many great memories as she joins Leo and her family in Heaven. SERVICES will be 10:00 AM Friday, January 6, 2017 at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (185 E. Pontaluna Rd, Norton Shores, Michigan) with Fr. James Honeycutt presiding. VISITATION will be one hour prior to her service. Interment will be in Deepdale Cemetery, Lansing, Michigan. Memorials to the Alzheimer’s Foundation would be greatly appreciated www.alz.org. They taught us so much about Mom’s care and happiness. Please sign her online guestbook at www.sytsemafh.com and share any memories or photos that others might enjoy. Thank you so much for being a part of our wonderful mother’s life.
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