Sally Veeder

Sally Veeder was a loving wife, supportive mother, and treasured grandmother. Passionate about people from an early age, she spent a large majority of her life selflessly giving to the needs of others. As much as she savored her career at Western Michigan University, her greatest love was her family. Nothing brought her greater joy than the moments she spent with them. Sally will be remembered for the genuine grace she shared with even the luckiest of strangers. There is no doubt that she will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

In the year 1939, Lou Gehrig retired from the New York Yankees, the much-loved classic film, The Wizard of Oz held its Hollywood premiere, and the first commercial air flight crossed the Atlantic Ocean. On May 3rd of that same year, LD and Anna (Ziska) Chesebro welcomed home their newborn daughter, Sally, in Cadillac, Michigan. Following her older brother, Robert, her birth brought much happiness to the family home.

Growing up in Cadillac near her grandparents, who immigrated from Czechoslovakia, as well as her Aunt Mary, Sally learned the value of family at an early age. Much of her childhood was spent with moments of enjoying their company and learning some of her grandparent’s way of life. She was also active in the Girl Scouts as well as Glee Club. Social by nature, she hung with her close friends; Judy, Roselle, Marilyn, and Larry. She and Larry met during their piano lessons when they were in the third grade and remained close friends and love interests from those early years. Studious as well as ambitious, Sally graduated with the Class of 1957 from Cadillac High School with her sights set on attending college. She enrolled at Ferris State College and later graduated but not before she and Larry married on August 22, 1959. The two of them were eager to spend the rest of their lives together and start a family of their very own.

Sally’s dependable and hard-working personality offered her many successes. She loved the various positions she held over the years in her many working environments. From her adolescent years at the Fetzer TV station in Cadillac to her years at WMU, Sally always held an optimistic attitude and was a pleasure to be around. She enjoyed her many bosses as well as bossing people around! A curse at times, Sally always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt when they didn’t live up to her expectations. A perfectionist as well as very thorough, any boss was lucky to have her. She finished her career with Western Michigan University after a remarkable twenty-eight years! Sally modeled for her family as well as many others her greatest legacy: the ability to treat all people with respect and fairness.

As much as she cherished her years as a mother, she was overjoyed when she was blessed with grandchildren. Sally enjoyed spending time with each of them and encouraging them to find their niche in the world. A tireless worker, she enjoyed the pleasures of reading as well as her Siamese cats for relaxation. When it came to music, she favored any song by the famous Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack of the 1960s. An avid U of M fan, win or lose she never wavered in her loyalty for the Wolverines! She also enjoyed attending and cheering on her grandchildren at their many special events over the years. Sally savored any amount of time she was with her family and lived her life to the fullest by loving each and every one of them unconditionally.

Sally and Larry had a great love for one another. Over the course of their sixty-six wonderful years together, they lived a simple life in the home where they raised their kids on N. Fletcher Street in Kalamazoo. Known for her warm personality and infectious laugh, Sally was a wonderful neighbor and friend to the many people they met during their many years there. Proud parents, they enjoyed countless family get-togethers as well as each and every holiday surrounded by their loved ones. Still known to hold hands well into their later years, Sally and Larry enjoyed traveling over the years. They visited Cadillac often to spend time with their extended family as well as trips to Crystal Mountain and Chicago. Fond of traditions, they frequented their favorite restaurant, Great Lakes Shipping Company, each and every Friday often joined by family or special friends. They also loved to dance and were known to stay on the dance floor late into the evening at countless wedding receptions over the years!

No greater testimony of their love for one another was the tender way that Larry cared for her during the past five years or more as she battled vascular dementia. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. Despite some trying days, he never complained. Her beautiful smile and the twinkle in her eye saw him through time after time. Sadly, she is gone. Deeply loved, may her warm collection of memories touch the hearts of her many special friends and loved ones forevermore.

Sally Veeder, age 81, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, died on August 3, 2020 at her home. Sally was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Chesebro and by her Aunt Mary Mace. Surviving are her husband of 61 years, Larry; three children: Greg (Patty) Veeder, Dave (Jaime) Veeder and Susie (Brandon) Shaw; nine grandchildren: Joey and Maya Veeder; Ryan (Natalie) Veeder, Dan (Sara) Veeder, Mitch Veeder, Melanie Veeder and Avery Veeder and Emily and Will Shaw; a great-granddaughter, Sadie Veeder; and many special nieces and nephews. Cremation will take place and private services will be held. Please visit Sally’s personal web page at www.BetzlerLifeStory.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign her online guestbook. Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Hospice. Betzler Life Story Funeral Home, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900.