Elizabeth L. Mullet

The year was 1919, and Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. The 18th amendment to the constitution was established prohibiting the sale of alcohol on U.S. soil, the dial telephone was introduced, and the pogo stick was the toy of choice of the neighborhood children everywhere. Following the end of World War I, Americans were looking for ways to prosper and grow the economy. On a more personal note, in the small community of Leaton, Michigan, Sheral and Maude (Porterfield) Callihan were finding prosperity of their own as they welcomed the birth of their fourth child on April 27, 1919, a little girl they lovingly named Elizabeth Louise. Elizabeth joined her siblings Lucille, Gerry, and Nelda, and was immediately dubbed with the nickname Betty , which remained with her for the rest of her life. The family eventually moved to the nearby community of Clare, Michigan where Bettys father served as Justice of the Peace. All of the children attended the local schools, and developed many close friendships throughout the years. September of 1935 Betty happily began her senior year in high school. She sang in the glee club, belonged to the honor society, played the saxophone in the band, and was dating a handsome gentleman named Stanley Mullet. Her life was just about perfect. Christmas that year was a wonderful day of celebration. Her siblings, their spouses, and Stan all came over to the Callihan residence to celebrate. After a large dinner and the opening of gifts, they all piled into their automobiles to continue their festivities at another location. Traveling in caravan style with Betty and Stan in the lead, they came up over a hill when tragedy struck. A stalled, unlighted vehicle was just over the hill, and Stan was unable to avoid hitting it, while the rest of the family looked on in horror. Stan received serious injuries to his neck, and Betty was severely injured when she went through the windshield. When Betty was able to return to school, the remainder of the school year was extremely difficult for her. Not only had she lost the sight of her left eye, she was extremely self conscious of her many facial scars. Through perseverance Betty not only graduated with her class, but she graduated with the esteemed honor of valedictorian. Unfortunately, the lingering effects from this accident produced not only external scarring, but also emotional internal scarring that resulted in several bouts of depression for the rest of her life. Following graduation, Betty and Stan were married, and eventually had three wonderful children, Gary, Connie, and Christine. Family brought immense joy to Betty, and she was extremely proud as she watched each child become a responsible adult. Unfortunately, it was during this time that Betty and Stans marriage dissolved and she was forced to spend the rest of lifes journey alone. Betty was always a hard worker until she was no longer able to do so. In her younger years she served as a waitress for the Doherty Hotel in Clare. She enjoyed her job and loved meeting all of the different customers, but it was not easy to work full time and care for small children as well. Bettys next endeavor was bookkeeping at a small insurance agency which resulted in working for a few other agencies as well. All of these positions she performed very well. Betty then worked for Central Beverages for a few years, another position that she truly enjoyed. Bettys last career move was to the Holiday Inn as bookkeeper where she faithfully worked for over twenty years before retiring. Although working full time for their whole life is enough for most people, it was never quite enough for Betty. She always felt that she should do volunteering in addition to her work. Thus she gave many, many hours of her time to the ladies auxiliary at Central Michigan Hospital, and the Mt. Pleasant Thrift Shop. She found great joy in helping others. Betty did enjoy some recreation in addition to her work though. At one time she enjoyed bowling on a league, and at another time she also participated on a golf league. She and her teammates were quite amused when someone would throw a gutter ball, or swing and completely miss a golf ball. They had the motto that they never laughed AT someone, only WITH them. Weekly bridge club was another good time in her life. She and her friends would take turns in hosting the club and would provide a special treat when they did. Throughout the years Betty was blessed with 10 grand children, 19 great grand children, and 5 great, great grand children. She was so proud of each and every one of them, and truly cherished each visit she had with any of them. She was always game to participate in a couple of card games if anyone asked, and she would proudly display any picture that she was able to obtain from them. She looked forward to the family reunions so she could visit and catch up on any of the latest news with everyone. Her family had a surprise 90th birthday party for her that she just couldnt quit talking about. She was totally amazed that all the plans were made without her suspecting a thing. When physical activities became difficult for Betty, she decided to start watching the Tigers, and became a diehard fan right to the end. The last few years were a little difficult for Betty. Here was a lady that was totally independent all of her life, and now she had to depend on family members to help her with just about everything. It was so hard for her to ask for any help. Slowly she lost her independence due to age and physical ailments. Bettys family was so proud of her when she made the responsible decision to sell her car when she knew it was no longer safe for her to drive. She even agreed to the heart breaking decision to sell her home that she had owned for over 50 years, when she knew she could no longer live there. Elizabeth Mullet, age 93, of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, passed away Monday, June 4, 2012, at Prestige Centre in Mt. Pleasant. Betty is survived by her three children, Gary (Sandy) Mullet of Canton, Georgia, Connie (Nat) Tersigni and Christine Hoffman (Gary Swan), both of Mt. Pleasant; eight grandchildren, Michael, Susan and Jenny, Laurie, Dana and Christopher, Jennifer and Timothy; 19 great-grandchildren; five great-great grandchildren; nephew, Jeffrey Jones; nieces, Sondra Webb, Peggi Arnold, Toni Lemy, Joyce Dull, and Linda Davies; and her feline friend, Allie. She was preceded in death by her siblings, Lucille, Gerry and Nelda; and two grandchildren, Carrie Rowland Nason and Mark Mullet. The memorial service for Elizabeth Mullet will be held Friday, September 28, 2012, 11:00 AM at Central Baptist Church (1101 W. Broadway) with Pastor Gordon Rydman officiating. A luncheon will follow at the church. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider the American Cancer Society. Envelopes are available at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home. Please visit www.charlesrlux.com to share a favorite memory and photo of Betty and to sign her online guest book.