Delores "Dede" Flowers

Age 85, died on Monday, December 12, 2016 at Rose Arbor Hospice Residence in Kalamazoo. She was born in Minneapolis, MN in 1931 to the late Eugene and Martha (Huhtala) Johnson. When she was five years old, the family settled in Brimley, MI where she attended school through the 11th grade. Her high school education was completed in Sault Ste. Marie, graduating with the class of 1948 as co-valedictorian. She had lifelong friendships with many of her classmates from Brimley and Sault Ste. Marie. In December of 1948, Delores married Albert “Al” Flowers, who preceded her in death in 2009. They moved with their young family to Kalamazoo in 1956. She worked for 30 years as an administrative assistant in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Western Michigan University. She was a magna cum laude graduate of WMU with a BA in Education. In retirement, Dede and Al wintered for many years in Mexico, Florida and Arizona. Summers were spent at their cabin on Sugar Island in the Upper Peninsula, where they reconnected with friends from childhood. She was also preceded in death by her two sisters, Sylvia Mahoney and Victoria Wolf. Delores is survived by her two daughters, Christina (Richard) King and Clara (Douglas) Paine, both of Kalamazoo; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.