Marjorie Belcher-Hoffman

Marjorie Belcher-Hoffman Battle Creek Marjorie Belcher-Hoffman, 89, died Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at the Lifespan Good Samaritan Hospice Residence. She was born March 4, 1921 in Climax, Michigan the daughter of Almon and Mabel (Burkhart) Wolf and was a resident of Battle Creek for 50 years. Marjorie attended a one room schoolhouse in Climax thru the eighth grade and then graduated from Lakeview High School in 1938. She had worked at Two Johns Restaurant, Bill Knapp's, Allmon Pastry Shop, Community Hospital, and Battle Creek Sanitarium and then at Felpausch providing demo food samples. Marjorie began her church attendance at the local Methodist Church in West Leroy, then moved her membership to the Evangelical Church in Lakeview and was ultimately baptized at First Baptist Church of Battle Creek where she was an active member of the Bell Choir and the American Baptist Women's Group. In her later years Marjorie attended various Bible studies at Battle Creek Bible Church. On April 5, 1941 she was married to Carl J. Belcher in Bryan, Ohio who preceded her in death in 1981. During her early years of marriage, Marjorie moved 17 times with the longest residence being on Cleveland Street and Sylvan Drive where life was shared with many wonderful neighbors. Marjorie's home was always full of kids, dogs (cocker pups from time to time) and an ongoing litter of kittens. Her favorite activities included bowling, working at election polls, gardening, and sewing clothing for the children, crocheting, gardening, sketching, playing the piano, playing table games with the family, cooking, making candies and cashew brittle for the holidays. For many years Marjorie's mother lived with the family and is best remembered for her home made grape jelly. Family's favorite memory is when Carl would announce "we're leaving for Tennessee in four hours." With a large family to pack for, laundry, food preparation, arrangements for the animals and everyone scrambling to locate their own stuff they would leave on time with a back seat full of kids and trunk full of travel preparations. Marjorie would be in a panic but they would leave on time and nothing was forgotten. The big annual event was spring house cleaning. With five girls to help, windows got washed, base boards wiped, mirrors polished and this event knitted the family together and prepared the girls to be their own homemakers. Marjorie will be best remembered by her family as a loving mother with a servant's heart. Marjorie married George Hoffman in 1994 who survives. Also surviving are seven children: Barbara (Dennis) Crofoot, Brenda (Steve) Crane, Betty (Robert) Locke, Carol (Larry) Martin, Patricia (Jim) O'Neill, Mary Perry and Jim (Gwen) Belcher; nineteen grandchildren; twenty eight great-grandchildren; brother, Lyle Wolf; in-laws: Mary Rich, Vivian VanDerBurgh, Edward and Donald Belcher. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. this evening at the Richard A. Henry Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the Funeral Home with Pastor Kelly Hadlich officiating. Private interment will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be directed to Lifespan Good Samaritan Hospice Residence or American Cancer Society.