Eva Pichan

Eva Pichan was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was selfless and caring, yet the word that paints the most vivid picture of her is resilient. Modeling small acts of kindness and large acts of sacrifice, her story touched the lives of many. A strong and caring person, there is no doubt that she leaves behind a rich legacy of unconditional love to be fondly remembered by all who knew and loved her.

Looking back on the 1920s, it was a period of sustained economic prosperity. The media was focused on jazz music and celebrities, and at the brink of what would be known as the Roaring Twenties, Fred and Harriet (Miller) Olmstead welcomed the surprise birth of their new daughter, Eva Belle, at home on December 11, 1921. Born into what became historically known as the Greatest Generation, her birth brought great joy into the hearts of her loving parents.

Eva Belle was the younger sibling of two older sisters, Blanche and Mary, who were nineteen and seventeen. As a result, much of her childhood was spent independently playing, especially reading. She also grew fond of spending countless hours looking through family books, photos, and letters, which later led to a lifetime interest in genealogy. During her high school years she dated Norman Pichan. The two of them were high school sweethearts. Her studious habits and ability to keep pace as a reader, led her to be the valedictorian of the Class of 1939 from Flat Rock Community High School. As a graduation present, Eva accompanied her sister, Mary to the 1939 World’s Fair and to visit relatives in the Finger Lakes region of New York, a trip she often loved to talk about over the years.

She and Norman wasted no time joining in marriage soon after graduation and before he enlisted with the United States Navy in 1942. The happy couple honeymooned in the beautiful Upper Peninsula area known as the Tahquamenon Falls before it was developed as the travel destination that it is today. During Norman’s time in Astoria, Oregon where he was stationed, Eva took the Empire Builder train with a private sleeping car out to meet him and explore the Pacific Northwest. They shared many interests and were a natural match for one another. Together they raised a wonderful family that consisted of four sons. Their firstborn, Norman II was still born, and later they were blessed with their sons; Alan, Cary, and Lee. She treasured her years with them at home as a homemaker managing the home, their schedules, as well as caring for her husband. Eva was proud of the many years she tended the large family garden and would can and freeze the abundant harvests to get them through their child-rearing years. There simply wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her family.

Once the children were grown and off on their own, Norman retired from the Ford Motor Company and they relocated to an eighty-acre farm in Posen. Eva loved her years here on the farm and she and Norman found more time to spend time doing the things they enjoyed. She volunteered at the Thunder Bay Theater Company by sewing countless costumes and working with the production team. She also used her talents to make many banners and altar cloths for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Posen. A natural in the kitchen, Eva spent time perfecting her dishes over the years and entered the Posen Potato Festival contest annually. She won both Grand Champion and Reserve Champion honors as well as the cooking contest on the popular Fred Trost TV series, Michigan Outdoors.

Never one to remain idle, she also took an interest in politics serving for many years as a Treasurer and Clerk for Krakow Township. Having loved their experiences traveling, she and Norman also took a once in a lifetime trip to visit their oldest son, Alan, while he was stationed in Scotland. Eva also spent much of her later years focused on finding out about her family’s past. Researching helped her answer and put together the pieces from her family’s history. Known as the family historian, she cherished entertaining the family with stories of her early years growing up without electricity and surviving during the nation’s toughest times. Described as strong willed and independent, Eva never let the small things in life bother her. Her optimistic personality sustained her throughout life and especially after Norman, her husband of sixty-two years passed away in 2004. Eva’s wonderful sense of humor and many special catch phrases pulled her through the hardest times in life and she never looked back with regret. May her family be blessed in knowing they were loved beyond measure and may her memories be eternal.