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Lyman Jr. & Marion Van Winkle
Born: 9/4/1934
Died: 9/11/2025
Community: Service at The Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint, MI
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Marion Welsh Van Winkle, (A.B., M.A.) age 91, of Flint, passed away on Thursday, September 11, 2025. A Memorial Service will be held to celebrate Marion's life and her late husband, Lyman Van Winkle at 12:30pm on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint, 2474 S. Ballenger Hwy, Flint. Both Lyman & Marion Van Winkle will be laid to rest in the Memorial Garden Cemetery at The Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint. Sharp Funeral Home - Miller Road Chapel has been entrusted with funeral arrangements. Online condolences can be shared by visiting their obituary pages found at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com.
Marion was born during The Great Depression on September 4, 1934, in Muskegon, Michigan to the late Roy & Frances (Hutchinson) Welsh. She was the youngest of three girls. Marion's mother ran a structured household; which in turn meant from the young age of 3, Marion had already earned herself time management skills, was organized, socially mature and had already started to develop her Faith. Her love of reading started as early as first grade. It was through novels, stories, and such adventures that she was able to escape life's mundane scene and have an adventure of her own. Outside of childhood at the age of 14, Marion's first career was at the public library. Between working, school, competitive dance roller skating, she blinked and was in college.
She met Lyman in 1954. Little did she realize, until years later, that she met her perfect match in all topics of faith, education, politics and more. The two married on August 13, 1955. Marion lost her father, gave birth to their son, David, and made various moves throughout Michigan as Lyman worked on his Masters and Doctoral programs, making the first several years of marriage a bit difficult. As a young mother, Lyman encouraged Marion to return to school of which she did.
Typing up her husband's dissertation for his doctorate (PhD) Marion decides to continue pursuing higher education.
B. A. - Magna Cum Laude, history / political science, 1965, Hillsdale College
M. A. - Secondary Education 1967, Michigan State University
M. A. plus - Foundations of Education 1973, Michigan State University
Permanent Michigan Secondary Teaching Certificate May 1974, Social Science, History, English and Grades 7 and 8 - all subjects
Marion and Lyman moved to Flint, Michigan in 1971, these were trying times as her mother passed, and life's troubles seemed all to steep. With persistence means to overcomes life's storms Marion pulled through stronger than ever and gained a new community of like-minded friends at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint. Marion's passion for a higher education and desire to help others bloomed as she took on the position as a student minister and eventually Moderator of the church. During this time she was still teaching Homebound students but after nearly a decade she was placed in a classroom with "at risk" teenagers at Mott Middle College High School. The rest of Marion's teaching career was concentrated on learning how to teach unmotivated students. Marion retired in 1999 at the age of 65. Retirement and all the time it offered lead her to her first passion again, reading and finding a fulfilling purpose within the church.
Marion was a Unitarian Universalist since 1961 when she joined the Unitarian Church in Montclair, New Jersey. Since joining the Flint Church in 1979, Marion not only volunteered, she served as Secretary to the Board, Assistant to the Moderator & Moderator. She chaired most of the committees, taught Adult Religious Education, revised the church Constitution, attended Midwest Leadership School 1987, created and carried out workshops at district Annual meetings. She was also considered a student minister for several years, until it became apparent that she was unable to finish the requirements. During retirement, she was apart of the Search, Endowment, Nominating, Operations, Finance, Social Concerns, Membership and Building Program Committees.
Within the community, she sat on the Board of the Greater Eastside Community Association, as a board member of Easter Seals and the ACLU. She also was President of the Flint Chorus of Sweet Adeline's and Personnel Committee of Everywoman Center. She was the curriculum writer of a Youth Drinking & Driving Prevention Project and editor of a newsletter. She further served in the community by holding offices in Genesee County Association of Children with Learning Disabilities, first woman President of the Flint Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, producer of a Barbershop Harmony program on WFBE-Flint, taught at junior high, senior high and college levels, teacher of Homebound and tutored K-12 students from various schools in the county.
Marion is survived by her only child, David Paul VanWinkle and many friends and church family.
In addition to her parents, Marion was preceded in death by her husband, whom she shared 69 years of marriage with, Lyman Van Winkle Jr. (he passed on January 23, 2025); her sisters, Dorothy Brown (Jan, 24, 1928 to Feb. 16, 2005) and Helen Vaillencourt (Mar. 31, 1930). |
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| Visitation |
| Date: |
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1/13/2026 |
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| No visitation |
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| Funeral Service |
| Date: |
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1/18/2026 |
| Time: |
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12:30 PM |
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| Location: |
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The Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint
2474 S. Ballenger Hwy
Flint , MI 48507Get a Map to this location...
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