Florence Elizabeth Sprengel

Florence Sprengel was a remarkable woman, a woman of such great love, strength and faith. She lived a long and full life, a life so full of family and fond memories. Florence was a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a friend to many over the years. She knew the secret to living a long life, yet more importantly, she taught us how to live a good life, just as she did.

Florence's story began on a wet spring day nearly a century ago, as a cold March rain poured down on Chicago in 1908. Those were such fascinating times in our country, as the automobile and the airplane became more than figments of our imagination, and fixtures in our everyday life, transforming every corner of our culture. Yet on March 20, 1908, Axel and Selma Blomquist found even more reason to celebrate, with the birth of their first child, a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Florence Elizabeth.

Florence was the oldest of four children in the family's Chicago home, where she grew up and lived most of her long life. She was very close to her two brothers and sister growing up, and the four toddlers all piled into the family's huge bathtub in the kitchen for their bath on Saturday nights. Florence spent part of her childhood in Minneapolis, attending part of her grade school years there while her father worked in Minnesota.

By the heyday of the Roaring 20s, when Big Bands ruled the stage and Prohibition was the law of the land, Florence had grown into a beautiful young woman. She met a handsome young man named Walter Sprengel in 1926, when she was 18 years old. The sparks flew between them, and they dated for awhile, spending a lot of their courtship in Michigan, watching the sun set on the sandy shoreline together. The two were married in Chicago on November 24, 1928, beginning so many wonderful years together.

The newlyweds purchased a house in Chicago, where they would live most of their lives, and is still in the family today. Florence worked at a bank in Chicago to help make ends meet, but when the dark days of the Great Depression hit our country, she lost her job, to make way for the bank to hire a man instead, so common during that time.

Though times were tough for so many, the young couple enjoyed their new life together. In 1935, they became mother and father with the birth of their first child, with their second child rounding out the family in 1938. Florence and Walter were wonderful parents, with their great faith serving as the foundation for their marriage and their family. Florence, especially, was a woman with tremendous faith in the Lord and always taught her family to "love God above anything else", and told them often how she prayed for them each and every night.

Florence adored her grandkids and was always the "tough" one, roughhousing with them or giving them piggyback rides around the house, laughing all the way! Florence would also take long walks to the park with the grandkids and would always be miles ahead of them.

Florence was a tremendous wife, mother and grandmother and an excellent cook as well. She always made enough food to feed an army and wasn't satisfied until everyone was "filled to the brim", all the while asking them if they want more. One of her specialties was chocolate chip cookies and one of the grandkids specialties was the "Swedish Flop" grandma purchased at the local Swedish bakery for them. She was also an excellent seamstress who could create all types of beautiful garments from dresses, skirts and blouses to doll clothes.

She and Walter loved pets and for many years had a dog named "Jerry". Walter at one point wanted to raise Guinea pigs, which didn't make Florence very happy though. She loved Jerry yet even though Walter loved him more than she did, he always seemed to love Florence the best! Who would blame themω Everyone seemed to love Florence, such a sweet, vivacious lady, so strong and charismatic.

Sadly, Florence's beloved Walter died in 1979, and though it was hard for her, she persevered on her own, living in the same Chicago home she had for so many years. Florence was remarkably healthy her whole life, and in fact, had never even had an X-ray until she took ill while visiting her daughter's family in the Holland, Michigan area in 2004!

Because of her illness, she moved to the Good Shepherd Home at Resthaven in Holland full-time, to receive the round the clock care that she needed and to be closer to her daughter Carole and son-in-law Richard and their children. She was like a true mother to Richard. They visited her often, and she would always say she was doing "pretty good" or just "fair", and that she had faith that tomorrow would be better.

Sadly, Florence died Monday, February 12, 2007, at the age of 98.

Florence was a remarkable woman, who led a remarkable life, a long and full life, a life so full of family, faith, and fond memories. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a woman who taught us all so much. "Love God above anything else," she always said, and she always did. Today her love, and her faith, lives on in all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

Preceding her in death was her husband Walter Sprengel, in 1979.

Surviving are her children, Carole and Richard Anderson, of Fennville, and Kenneth Sprengel, of Chicago; 3 Grandchildren, Carolyn (Richard) Wyman, William (Angela) Anderson, Darren (Julie) Anderson; 10 Great Grandchildren, Cody Wyman, Madeson Anderson, Amber Wyman, Cade Wyman, Noah Anderson, Eva Anderson, Raquel Anderson, Liana Anderson, Logan Sprengel, Sofia Anderson; In Laws, Jackie Johnson, Margaret Johnson; and nieces.

Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, 10:00AM, at the Mulder Chapel, Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes, 188 W. 32nd St., Holland. Officiating will be the Rev. Leigh VanKempen. Burial will be in Ridgewood Cemetery, Des Plaines, Illinois.

Visitation is scheduled for Friday, from 7-9 PM, at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Gideons.

For more information and an on-line registry, please visit www.lifestorynet.com