Edward J. Schlafley, age 99, of Manistee, passed away Sunday July 31, 2022, at Maple Ridge Manor in Manistee. He was born on December 25, 1922, the son of the late Edward and Eva (Sanders) Schlafley.
His wife, Eleanor Fern Schlafley, age 99, passed away on Tuesday August 2, 2022, at Maple Ridge Manor. Born on November 16, 1922, Eleanor was the daughter of the late George and Rose (Schug) House.
Ed and Eleanor had both graduated from Clare High School. They married on September 28, 1942, in Lawrenceville, Illinois and shared almost 80 years together.
He was a plant superintendent of Holley Carburetor in Clare and was the co-owner with Eleanor of Riverside Motel in Manistee from 1974 to 1990.
The foremost important thing in their life together was their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. When the family lived in Clare, Ed was an active member and Deacon at the Clare Baptist Church. Once they moved to Manistee, Ed and Eleanor were active members of the Heritage Baptist Church; Ed being one of the founding members and served as Deacon. Ed loved to sing in the church choir, often singing solos, and volunteered with the youth ministry and the church visitation ministry.
They loved to travel. Many vacations were spent with the family camping all over the United States. They were also able to travel abroad to England, Scotland, and Switzerland where their families came from. When they weren’t traveling, Eleanor loved to spend time working on her garden of flowers; she especially loved having an old English flower garden. Eleanor was a wonderful artist, watercolor being her medium. She would paint pictures of ships, sailboats, her grandchildren, and landmarks in the area.
Ed and Eleanor are survived by their children Marcia (Eli) Beltran, Joleen (John) Legg, Mary Jane (John) Schwartz, Martin (Eve) Schlafley, Max (Bridget) Schlafley, and Paul (Amy) Schlafley; 17 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild; Ed’s brother Leon (Sharon) Schlafley; Eleanor’s sister Eileen (Jerry) Wood; and many other family and friends.
In addition to their parents, Ed and Eleanor were preceded in death by Ed’s siblings Russell Schlafley, Bill Schlafley and Dorothy Spencer; Eleanor’s siblings Arnie House, William House, Homer House, Reggie House, Helen House, Margie Shull, and Florence McEachern; and their grandsons Wade Schlafley and Joshua Legg.
A Celebration of Life for Ed and Eleanor will be held on Friday August 12, 2022, at 11:00AM at Heritage Baptist Church with Pastor Eric Struble officiating. Family will receive friends from 10:00AM until the time of service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Heritage Baptist Church or to Hospice of Michigan.
The family would like to thank Maple Ridge Manor in Manistee and Hospice of Michigan for their wonderful care of their mom and dad.
Please share a memory with the family at www.oakgrovefh.com. Arrangements made by the Oak Grove Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Manistee.
