Florence Mary Houk

Florence Mary Houk, 102, of Ludington died peacefully at Ludington Woods on August 18, 2025, with family by her side.

Florence Mary was born in Caseville Township, Huron County, MI, on November 17, 1922, to her parents Harold Richard (Dick) and Winafred (Newton) Gwinn. During the depression, she grew up in Elkton, Traverse City, and Cadillac, MI, before moving to Ludington with her family in July 1936 when her father became the first superintendent of the Ludington State Park.

Florence Mary graduated from Ludington High School in 1939 and from Central Michigan University in 1943. She married John Russell (Russ) Houk of Summit Township, Ludington, at her parents' home at the Ludington State Park on September 26, 1943, and completed her first year of teaching while her husband trained to be a meteorologist in the Army Air Corps. From 1943 to 1945, Russ and Florence Mary lived on military bases in Salina, KS, and Warrensburg, Missouri.

After her first child was born in June 1945, Florence Mary returned to her parents' home at the State Park while Russ completed his military service in Oklahoma City. In 1946, they moved into the house on Hawley Rd. in Summit Township where they raised four children and resided together for almost 70 years prior to their move to the Sherman Oaks Manor House in Ludington in 2015. Florence Mary lost her beloved husband in February 2017 after 73 years of marriage. When the COVID pandemic began, she moved into the home of her daughter and daughter-in-law in Pere Marquette Township, where she welcomed visits from children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren until February 2025, when she moved to Ludington Woods.

In addition to raising four children (and leading many of their extracurricular activities), Florence Mary returned to teaching when her last child entered first grade. She taught for 15 years, first in South Summit Elementary and then in Scottville Elementary School. In retirement, she and Russ spent 17 winters in Tucson, AZ, and nine years in Durham, NC.

Florence Mary and Russ Houk were volunteers for many years for Hospice of Michigan. During their child raising years, they were active members of the Grace (EUB) church in Summit Township. In 1994, they became founding members of the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church of Ludington, now called People's Church. Florence Mary continued as an active member of that church community, in person or by zoom, until she was 101 years of age.

Florence Mary was an avid reader and loved children. Her gifts to her children and grandchildren always included a book. In addition to her four children, she mothered foreign exchange students from Germany and Sweden. Her love of genealogy (passed to her through many maternal figures in previous generations) led to the discovery that she was a descendant of multiple passengers on the Mayflower.

Over the years, Florence Mary wrote regular family letters, first by typewriter, then computer, and finally an Ipad, that kept her kids and grandkids connected wherever they were. She saved letters, photos, and articles about family members in separate files. Included in her own file, was a letter she wrote in 2010, which ended: "As we are reaching our elderly years with less and less energy but still able to take care of ourselves, we feel blessed that we have what we have and love sharing days and news with all of you. And now another generation is popping up to be loved and watched from afar. As we pass the caring on to all of you, we feel content that it has been a successful life. We now feel that we are being watched over by you, a nice warm feeling."

Florence Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Dick and Winafred Gwinn, her sister, Gwen (Gwinn) King, and her husband, Russell Houk. She is survived by daughters Linda Cronenwett (Shirley Tuller) and Patricia Carney of Ludington (whose husband, John, Jr. died less than 24 hours after his mother-in-law), son Russell R. (Susana) Houk of Bonita Springs, FL, and daughter Peggy (Neal) Payne of Ludington and Arlington, VA. She is a grandmother truly beloved by her grandchildren -- Sara Cronenwett of Philadelphia, PA, Molly Cronenwett (Dustin Maurice) of Hillsborough, NC, Margaret Carney Fennema (Mike) of Ludington, MI, Joel (Amy) Carney of Port Tobacco, MD, Kathyrn (Noah) Wouk of Chapel Hill, NC, David Houk of Weaverville, NC, Kelsey (Zach) Gallion of Arlington, VA, and J. Ryan Payne (Mary) of South Orange, NJ, and the 14 great-grandchildren they have given her.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to the staff at Ludington Woods and Elara Hospice who provided loving care during Florence Mary's last weeks of life. Per Florence Mary's wishes, cremation has taken place under the services of Grace Funeral Home & Cremation Center of Ludington. Also, per her wishes, her sole memorial service will be next July 17th, 2026, when the large family she leaves behind gathers at the farm on Hawley Rd. to celebrate her life, along with the interment of her ashes in the Summit Township Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made in Florence Mary's memory to the Mason County Historical Society (for the Houk Family Reading Room established in her honor in the Research Center) or to People's Church (115 W. Loomis St., Ludington).

Arrangements were entrusted to Grace Funeral Home and Cremation Services (formerly Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington), www.GraceCremations.com.