Louise Whiffin

Kind beyond measure, Louise Whiffin modeled a lifetime of being the most loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and sister. Louise held many special interests including golfing, dancing, traveling, as well as making each and every holiday memorable for her growing family over the years. Caring as well as fun loving, she had many close friends over the years from her work at the library as well as her active membership in her faith community. Louise will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by her special family and all those who knew and loved her. The 1920s saw the large-scale boom of automobiles, telephones, and motion pictures, as well as unprecedented industrial growth and significant changes in our nation's culture. At a time when Lou Gehrig and Amelia Earhart were household names, William and Fannie Mae (Harris) Abrams Jr. welcomed home their baby girl, Louise, on February 9, 1928, in Cooper Township, Michigan. Joining her older sister, Margaret and later her younger brothers, Dick and Bill, her birth brought great hope and promise to an exciting time in our nation's history. Louise lived a typical childhood of the times where her father worked as a local mechanic and her mother was a homemaker. She enjoyed rollerskating as a kid and was a model student. Active during her high school years, she balanced cheerleading, Glee Club, Library Club, and was a member of the Girls Athletic Association. Graduating with the Class of 1946 from Plainwell High School, she waited tables at the Lamplighter Inn, a local restaurant in town. She met the love of her life, Wes Whiffin, at an ice cream store. He had just returned from the service and the two of them hit it off right from the very start! Lucky in love, they were eager to spend the rest of their lives together. Within a few months, Wes proposed and just six months from their first meeting, they were joined in marriage on January 18, 1947, at the Cooper Congregational Church. The happy couple honeymooned by train to the beautiful Niagara Falls before settling back in the Cooper area. Building their family home together, Louise worked as a typist for Mastercraft for a short while until their family grew to include three wonderful children; Linda, Diana, and Steve. As a mother, Louise was very active in her children's lives. She enjoyed her years as a homemaker attending their 4-H events as well as ensuring their daily needs were met with her loving tenderness. Spanning more than two decades she led the 4-H groups savoring her time with the animals as well as sharing in the success of those competing. An animal lover at heart, Louise and Wes also raised black Labradors as the children grew for her own enjoyment. and to teach the children. She instilled in her children the value of a strong Christian foundation and she and Wes attended their home church, Cooper Congregational with them during their developing years. Later, Louise was thrilled to accept a position as a secretary at the Plainwell High School library where she remained for sixteen wonderful years. She treasured her years with the students and made many lasting friendships during her time there. Whatever Louise put her heart and mind to doing, she did it with great love. She was known to give a young student a daily ride so that she could continue her passion for athletics. A model example to many young persons throughout her life, Louise surely left a remarkable and lasting impression on them during their early years. She and Wes shared a beautiful companionship as a happily married couple. They were active members of the original Crestview Golf Club where they enjoyed many years playing on leagues. Known to roll back the rugs on their hardwood floor from time to time they enjoyed dancing the Jitterbug from their early years together. They both had the itch for travel and visited all fifty United States as well as more than twenty countries! Her involvement with the Genealogical Society since the late '80s surely sparked her interest in many of their travels over the years. Easy going and quite social, she and Wes made lasting friendships with two other couples from New Zealand during their travels to Europe. Sharing so much in common they traveled to visit them at their home in New Zealand on two separate occasions! Traveling kept them young and invested in their curiosity about other cultures over the years. When Wes passed away, Louise leaned on her many special friends and family for support and continued her role as a volunteer at the Ransom Library, ARO (Appalachian Reach Out), and at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo. She was one of the most generous persons to know and to love and she will be deeply missed by her loving family. May they be comforted in the beautiful and rich memories she leaves behind for each and every life she touched to cherish for eternity. Louise Whiffin, age 90, of Cooper Township, passed away peacefully on January 27, 2019, surrounded by her loving family. Louise was an active member of the Cooper Congregational Church since 1943, where she worked as a secretary, a Deacon, and an organist over the years. Surviving are her children; Linda (Steve) Strauch, Diane Whiffin, and Steve (Phuong) Whiffin; grandchildren; Kerry (Chris) Mitchell, Shannon Payne, Jaime (Brian) Strauch-Lewis, and Shayla Whiffin; great-grandchildren; Morgan and Josh Mitchell, Shelby and Mattie Payne and her brother, Bill. Louise was preceded in death by her loving husband of sixty-four years, Wes in 2011, her parents, sister, Margaret Ames and her brother, Dick Abrams. Thank you to West Michigan Cancer Center and Rose Arbor Hospice for their loving care during her last days. Memorials can be made to West Michigan Cancer Center, the Gospel Mission, Rose Arbor Hospice of Kalamazoo or Cooper Congregational Church. A memorial service will be held Friday, February 22nd at 11:00 am at the Cooper Congregational Church on 8071 Douglas Avenue, Cooper Township. Please visit Louise's memory page at www.mccowensecord.com where you can sign her guest book and upload a memory. The family is being served by McCowen & Secord Family Funeral Home; Marshall & Gren Chapel (269) 685-5881.