Mabel G. Kiel's Obituary
To Grand Haven, Mabel Kiel, 97, was the well-respected kindergarten teacher at Ferry School from 1963 until 1986. To her family and friends, she was the loving wife of Donald S. Kiel, a blueberry farmer in Robinson and Olive Townships until his death in 1965. Mabel was the daughter of Henry and Johanna Kiel of Hudsonville, so her marriage to Don allowed her to keep her maiden name and assume her husband’s name at the same time. Her children---Susan (George) Graeber of Mason, Kathleen (James) Mullet of Maricopa, AZ, and Gregg (Molly) Kiel of Grand Haven---treasure the memory of their mother’s loving nature and her warm and patient encouragement of their individual personalities and interests. Her much-loved grandchildren—Sally Clifford, Pamela Alaaldin, Brad Mullet, Katie Kiel, Alex Kiel, and Bryan Kiel---knew her as a source of affection and strength. Mabel’s four great-grandchildren will miss hearing Mabel read the story of “Billy Goat Gruff” that she had read so often to their parents and grandparents, and no doubt, to hundreds of her kindergarten students.
After graduating from Hudsonville High School and attending Western State Teachers College in Kalamazoo, she taught kindergarten in Hastings, MI, until her marriage in 1940. The couple raised their family in Wyoming, MI, while they farmed their blueberries in Ottawa County; then they moved to Grand Haven in 1962. Mabel re-entered the teaching profession in 1963 and, while teaching kindergarten at Ferry School, earned her bachelor degree from Western Michigan University. She continued to teach at Ferry until her retirement at the age of 69.
Until a month before her death, Mabel lived in the house she built with Don. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Grand Haven. Family and friends admired her for her mental acuity until the end of her life. She was an avid reader, an indifferent golfer, and an accomplished cook---her specialties, of course, were blueberry pies, blueberry muffins, and blueberry pancakes. Mabel rarely missed an installment of “Wheel of Fortune” or “Jeopardy” and she was a big fan of MSU football and basketball. Among her many travels, she particularly relished the opportunity to visit the Netherlands in 1978; she also traveled to Hawaii, Arizona, New Orleans, Eastern Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. She loved taking color tours with her daughters and granddaughters in Michigan’s north country.
The service for Mabel will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 26, 2010, at First Presbyterian Church in Grand Haven with Rev. Thomas Cook officiating. Friends may meet the family 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Monday, October 25, at the funeral home in Grand Haven. Interment will be in Lake Forest Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be given in memory of Mabel to First Presbyterian Church of Grand Haven, the Grand Haven Schools Foundation, Harbor Hospice of Muskegon, or to your favorite charity. Share memories with the family at their online guest book at www.vbkfuneralhome.com.
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