Edwardine M. (Carey) Curtis

Edwardine Curtis, 89, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Monday, April 5, 2010, in Midland. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 7, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Loren Kalinowski presiding. Burial will be in New Calvary Cemetery in Midland. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Academy Foundation or the charity of the donors choice. Envelopes are available at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home or at the church. Edwardine was born Sept. 26, 1920, in Mt. Pleasant, the daughter of the late Irish Ed and Anna (Mitchell) Carey. A graduate of Sacred Heart Academy in 1937, Edwardine was Valedictorian of her class and completed high school at the age of 16. She attended Central Michigan College and Bay City Business College. She worked as a secretary at Dow Chemical Employees Credit Union. On Feb. 23, 1952, she married LaVern Curtis in Clare. They lived in several states before settling in New York in 1961. While living there, she was a bookkeeper and secretary for the Curtis and Turcott Company, established in 1972. She and her husband returned to their Mt. Pleasant home roots in 1998. Some of Edwardines favorite pastimes were cooking, gardening, traveling, reading, listening to music, writing letters and cards, and, in her earlier years, playing cards. Helping the needy was very important to Edwardine, as was caregiving. She was a woman of deep faith. She was an active, practicing Catholic with St. Mary Catholic Church in Strykersville, NY for 38 years, as well as the years that followed at Sacred Heart Parish in Mt. Pleasant. Her faith was essential to her, but the most important thing in her life was her family and friends. Edwardine is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Colleen and Dale Bywater of Midland; special niece, Lisa Bywater of Midland; sister-in-law, Eva (Carl) Anderson of Midland; and extended family, Betty (Charlie) Johnson, Jim Powell, June Powell, and Jean Powell, all of Mt. Pleasant. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, LaVern; and nephew, Padraic Bywater. The family expresses profound thanks to Father Loren Kalinowski, Sister Julianne, Lisa Randall and staff of Midland Bickford Cottage, Laura Alexander and staff of Compassionate Care of Saginaw, Dr. Dardas and staff of MidMichigan Hospice, and to a host of relatives and friends.