Posted by:
Lynn Gonder

Viola was a wonderful mother-in-law. We shared many special moments together. We both believed in natural remedies. And we even had the same doctor!! I remember her talking to me about this doctor, and with a smile, she said he was “easy on the eyes”. I must admit, he was extremely handsome! She was an excellent hostess, as we visited frequently. She had a great laugh and a loving heart. I have fond memories of us shopping in downtown Galesburg. Her family and friends were extremely important to her. She will truly be missed!

Posted by:
Ruth Walls

My sympathies go out to all of you. Viola was a treasure and we were so glad to have her as a part of our women's group and Friendship Bible group at First United Methodist Church Kenosha. May your many treasured memories be a comfort to you.

Posted by:
Bob and Kathy Keneipp

We are so very sorry for the passing of Viola. What a sweet, spunky gal she was! We used to attend the same church in Galesburg. Bob and Emmet enjoyed many Mission worktrips together. Viola always had a smile and a twinkle in her eye. Prayers to you all.

Posted by:
Beth

I don't even know how to begin to talk about Mom. She was my Mom. And my best friend. I was 4 when I would sit and watch her sew on her 1962 Singer #403. ( I now have one of that model as my back-up machine.) It looked so fun, I begged her to show me how. So she did. I was way too short to use a sewing machine, but she taught me all about how to lay out a pattern, what a grain-line is, how to correct the grain, why grain is important, etc. She also showed me how to hand sew. I made little lop-sided doll clothes, and helped a lot with laying out and cutting. In 1977, Dad got her a brand new sewing machine. She said if I could reach the foot pedal, she would teach me how to use the machine. FINALLY! My first project was a dress with set-in sleeves and a giant-a$$, faced, collar. No one does something like this for a first project btw. I picked it out. She didn't say no. She made me pick out every flaw in those set-in sleeves and re-do it until they were perfect. Or at least wrinkle-free. She was not wrong. You don't want to know how judgey I am when I look at someone's first sewing project.... I ended up getting a degree in fashion design and doing a LOT of independent study in all kinds of textiles. Often with Mom. For a number of summers, we would trek up to Door county to take fiber arts classes as Sievers School of Fiber Arts. We would also go antiqueing together. Often bickering over things that we both wanted to buy. Dad has a chair that has been passed back and forth 3 times now. We took many classes together, and some separate. She would take quilting classes while I took book binding or doll making. But our routine stayed very much the same. We had toyed with taking one more trip up to Washington Island, but then Covid happened. And I think we all know how that went. It breaks my heart that I won't ever get to drive her up there again. No more drive-in movies in Sister Bay, no more ferry rides to the island. And then there are the books. I can't even with that. Mom used to read to me every night. At some point, when I was 5, we were at the Kroch's and Brentano's on Wabash St. I found a boxed set of the Little House books and BEGGED for them. I did not get them that day, but I did get them on the next present day. ( I don't remember if it was Christmas or my 6th birthday.) Mom would read 1 chapter per night. Yeah, that wasn't enough. By the time we got to "By The Shores of Silver Lake" I was reading all on my own. As Mom's eyesight got worse and worse, I was in charge of getting books she needed for various book groups and keeping both of our Kindles updated. I can't even with how much we would compare notes on books. I finished a book 2 days after she passed. And my first thought was, "Oooooo! I gotta make sure I tell Mom to read this one! Ooo, and it's a 'new-to-us-author'! With lots of other books!!!" And then I remembered. Cooking? Should I talk about the cooking too? I don't know this for sure, but I am pretty sure Julia Child was on after Seasame Street when I was little. I know I was watching her when I was in early grade school. And Mom never told me."No" when I wanted to try cooking something new. Smart woman. I was cooking dinner almost every night all through high school. And beyond. Yeah, imma have to start a blog about Mom or something, because this is already too long and I feel like I have barely said anything. I have a giant Viola-shaped hole in my heart and I don't know how to fix it. I love you Mom and I will always miss you. Even if you never really did like James very much :p P.S. HE KNOWS!!