Carolyn M. Huvendick

Carolyn Huvendick (nee Seator) died March 5, 2019 at Five Star Residences in Noblesville, Indiana surrounded by the love of her daughters and granddaughters.   She had been in declining health for the past year and suffered from dementia and other complaints associated with being in one’s mid-nineties.

She was born in Standish, Michigan in 1924, the only child of John and Edith Seator.  She graduated from Standish High School and was valedictorian of her class.  She was an accomplished musician at an early age and played several instruments.  She attended Interlochen Music Academy in Michigan during the summers and travelled with the Interlochen orchestra playing concerts at the World’s Fair in New York City in 1939.

She studied at the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College.  Following Oberlin, she worked as a newspaper reporter for the Pontiac (Michigan) Press.

It was in Pontiac that she met her future husband, Robert (“Bob”) Huvendick, of New Haven, Missouri, at a USO dance. They married in November 1945 when he returned from duty in the Pacific.  

Carolyn and Bob moved to Albion, Michigan in 1949.  He was a supervisor at Corning Glass Works in Albion for a quarter of a century and also for many years in a similar position at Corning in Bluffton, Indiana.
 
She and “Huvie” enjoyed the 25 years they lived and raised a family in Albion.  They made many close and life-long friends. She did public relations work to support the new senior high school and Albion Community Hospital in the late 1960s, helping to get both institutions funded and built. She was a member of the Albion School Board in the mid-1970s.
  
For many years, she was a local reporter for The Battle Creek Enquirer and News covering Albion city government and wrote many feature stories about people and activities in Albion as well.  In the early 1970s, she applied her newspaper experience as the advisor to the Albion High School monthly newspaper, The Breeze.
 
Throughout her life, in addition to music, she was keenly interested in books and the visual arts.  She shared that appreciation with her friends and passed it on to her children. Carolyn loved nature, plants and particularly birds.  She was a member of the Audubon Society and enjoyed a walk in the woods, identifying various flora and winged things.

She is remembered by many for her good manners, good taste and the ability to graciously express a point-of-view while acknowledging the sometimes-conflicting opinions of others.

She and her husband were avid bridge players and enjoyed playing cards and entertaining friends at home or while spending time in Florida, or Duck Lake, near Albion.  Their hospitality was well known and widely appreciated among their large group of friends.

She was a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Albion and often sang in that choir as well as the choral society at Albion College.  Carolyn was highly skilled in knitting and needlecraft.  She was an active member of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America, winning numerous awards for her work.

She is survived by five of her children: Nancy Huvendick (Paul Levy) of Washington, D.C., Eric Huvendick of Lakewood, Ohio, Jean (Michael) Schramm of Quito, Ecuador, Greta (William) Smith of Noblesville, Indiana and Leah (Kirk) Nugent of Zionsville, Indiana as well as seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Her parents, husband, infant daughter Catherine and daughter Sally, predeceased her.

Randall and Roberts Funeral Home, 1150 Logan St., Noblesville, Indiana 46060 (317) 773-2584, are handling final arrangements.  A memorial service is planned for 4 pm to 6 pm on Thursday, March 7 at the funeral home.  

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Carolyn’s name to the Creative Arts Council of Wells County, 211 Water Street, Bluffton, IN 46714; or online at:  www.wellscocreativearts.com/donate