Alice T. Vemich

Alice Therese (Belongie) Vemich passed away into eternity on January 23rd, 2024, surrounded by family and Monsignor Mike Hazard in prayer.

Alice was born on March 28th, 1927, to Alphonse and Amelia (Bourbonnais) Belongie in Gladstone, MI. In 1946, while carrying twenty pounds of peaches on the handlebars of her bicycle, Alice met the man who would become the love of her life, Alexander Vemich. He offered to take the peaches in his truck to her house in exchange for a date. They were married on August 5th, 1947. They brought out the best in each other, Al giving her confidence which fostered her relationships. While Al was traveling for his job, Alice held down the fort. They moved their growing family to Kalamazoo in 1953 where they raised their seven children, and eventually moved to a lake house. After Al passed away in 1983, Alice continued to live there for the next forty years.

Alice was a keen learner. When something wasn’t working, she wasn’t afraid to take it apart and fix it herself. She took classes, including square dancing, pottery, knitting, tai chi, and yoga. She was proud of her athletic abilities, which included baseball, volleyball, badminton, ping pong, and bowling. Alice loved all kinds of music, especially dancing the polka. When a favorite song was playing, Alice always eagerly pulled in her family to dance with her.

She loved being surrounded by family and friends. She was there for everything. Alice attended sports, recitals, and concerts with great enthusiasm. She was her children and grandchildren’s biggest fan, and was thrilled with phone calls and visits from her great-grandchildren.

Alice was a deeply spiritual person and enjoyed life tremendously, but she said her faith was the most important thing to her. She was active in the Catholic community. She promoted spiritual growth through the Mustard Seed group. The family attended St. Joseph Parish, and she was a member of St. Catherine of Siena funeral choir for eighteen years.

In the last six months of her life, Alice continued to nurture friendships at Nazareth Center and Provision Living. The staff and residents welcomed her and she reciprocated with her love. Her family is grateful for the care they showed to her and to us.

Alice was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; and all eight of her siblings, Francis, Marcella, Lawrence, Genevieve, Evelyn, Vivian, Agnes, James. She is survived by her seven children, Sue (Chip) Adams, Jim (Cheryl) Vemich, Chris (Jennie) Vemich, Tom (Nancy Strong) Vemich, Pat (Ray Burgwald) Vemich-Burgwald, John (Mary) Vemich, and Mary (Terry) Hudson; fifteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews; and her sister-in-law, Sally Belongie.

Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024, at 11:00 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church 936 Lake St. Kalamazoo, MI 49001. Following the mass, there will be a luncheon served at the church. Visitation will be held from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at the church. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to St. Joseph Catholic Church or Nazareth Center, in memory of Alice. To view her personalized webpage, please visit https://www.langelands.com

The twinkle in your eyes- so very few people can “twinkle”. The throaty chuckle when you found something especially amusing. That drawn-out gasp of approval at a tile or card you’d just drawn. Your sweet tooth, and your practical wisdom. Picnicking on the floor, dancing at weddings or just because, gazing at each of us with such adoration. Oh yes, you are still here yet.