Marjorie Ann Springgate

Marjorie Ann Willis Springgate passed away Thursday, October 31, 2013. Marge was born October 2, 1931 in Port Huron, MI, the daughter of the late W. Carlton and Margaret Kerr Willis; and was raised in St. Louis, MO. She was a graduate of William Woods College, the University of Missouri where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, and earned her Masters of Business Administration from Western Michigan University. In July of 1954 and again in September of 1955, she was united in marriage to the love of her life, Dr. Roland Springgate who survives. Also surviving are her children, Susan Springgate, Stephen Springgate Vanessa Adams, David Springgate, Nancy Springgate Peter Kushner, Scott Debbie Springgate, Don Kathleen DeLong, a host of Culvers; 10 grandchildren, Anna Kushner, Madison, Sterling, Wendy, Jack, and Scout Springgate, Eiren Hendrie, Kristin Davison, R.J. and Colin DeLong; and a sister, Helen F. Wendell Gooch. She was preceded in death by 2 grandchildren, Samantha and Griffin Springgate, as well as dozens of her cherished family pets. Marge had many gifts, but her warm and caring nature, her commitment to understand before trying to be understood, along with her incredible sense of humor made her the heart and soul of any gathering. Her generous spirit and genuine interest in everyone she knew endeared her to all who had the good fortune to spend time with her. Her hearty laugh, twinkling eyes, keen intelligence and deep insight into any situation will be deeply missed. Marge was the love of her family. She enjoyed teaching her children and grandchildren how to give back to the community and instilling a love of learning in them. She enjoyed telling a great story, playing pranks on Bill and Rita Culver or Dick and Betty Haas, serving as Roland's straight man, finding ways to make fun of life's challenging situations, and spending time with her beloved dogs. She could convert a quick lunch break at Pretty Lake Camp clean up day into an elegant setting complete with white table cloth and silver candelabra. The story of Samaria Fly never ceased to send her into fits laughter. Her family will miss "Hell's Bells" and "at any rate" sprinkled into the conversation. For more than 50 years, Marge contributed significantly to the quality of life of our community as a servant leader in the nonprofit arena, in education and in the public sector. In 2008, she was recognized for her community contributions as a recipient of the YWCA Lifetime Woman of Achievement award. In the late1950s, as a 2nd grade school teacher, she was honored by the Detroit Free Press for her unique education style for her students. Since that time, Marge's list of contributions with community organizations was deep and long - board member for many nonprofit agencies, reorganizing three entities on the brink of closing, 4 years as Kalamazoo's Vice Mayor plus many other volunteer involvements. Marge provided leadership roles as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair or Chair with almost every nonprofit board she has served including Junior League of Kalamazoo, United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, Borgess Visiting Nurses, Constance Brown Hearing Centers, DeLano Clinic, Borgess Hospital, and the Michigan Maritime Museum. In agency after agency she diligently put into place the structure to assist in the agency's financial success. Her work helped save Hackett High School from bankruptcy in the mid 1970s. Marge played key leadership roles in the reorganizations of both Visiting Nurses Association now Borgess Visiting Nurses in the 1970s and McKercher Rehabilitation Center now MRC Industries in the 1980s. She was a valuable member of the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region for 13 years 1978-1989 as an Allocations Committee member, a board member, chair of various committees and as Vice President. When Marge's children were diagnosed with dyslexia, a reading disability for which the public school system was unable to assist, she and husband Roland helped establish Specialized Language Development Center. Similarly they began a special program at Hackett High School to assist students with the disease. During her 4 year tenure on the Kalamazoo City Commission, she was recognized as a good listener, a convener and the "go to" person. She was able to help lead the City of Kalamazoo through difficult budget years. During her terms in office, intergovernmental cooperation was strengthened as reflected in the settlement of the long simmering feud over water and waste water and the establishment of a tax base sharing agreement. Her love of knowledge and of people led her to a Finance Department teaching position at Western Michigan University, Nazareth College and Spring Arbor College. She thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to help hundreds of young professionals. May we all share her commitment and dedication to leave our local communities a better place. Marge never sought recognition. Making Kalamazoo the best place to raise a family and to live was her quest for over 50 years. Our family would like to thank the staff of both the Oakland Center and Clare Bridge for their loving care and support. They became her extended family during the final months of her life and we will be forever grateful. There will be no visitation and a memorial gathering will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be directed to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan for the Oakland Center, or Kalamazoo Community Foundation.