Maxine Elzinga

Maxine Elzinga Obituary

Maxine J. Elzinga passed away peacefully on August 1, 2013 at the age of 88 at Boulder Park Nursing Home in Charlevoix.

She was born in Ellsworth, Michigan on November 1, 1924, the youngest of six children born to James and Jessie (Wassenaar) Elzinga. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Henry and wife Evelyn of Lansing, her sister Connie Raymer and husband Roy of Charlevoix, her brother Marvin and wife Isabel of Ellsworth, her brother Herb and wife Virginia of Lowell, and her brother Arthur and wife Lola of Belding. She is survived by many nieces and nephews.

In the fall of 1943, after graduating from Ellsworth High School, Maxine enrolled in the government's Cadet Nurse Corps in Traverse City. This program was created by an Act of Congress in the summer of 1943 to address the need for nurses for the War effort. The government provided the young women's tuition, books and uniforms and gave them $20 a month for living expenses. This was the beginning of Maxine's long career in the medical field as a nurse.

In April, 1945, Maxine enlisted in the WAVES and served in Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. where she satisfactorily completed a period of training and service on active duty with the United States Navy, World War II through June of 1946. That fall she enrolled in Butterworth Hospital School of Nursing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, graduating with her R.N. degree in 1949. After working in the Saginaw, Michigan Veterans Hospital as an operating room nurse, Maxine served as a nurse and First Lieutenant Officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1953. From 1954 until 1979, she was employed as a nurse at the Wadsworth Veterans Administration Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

After retiring from her nursing career, she moved back to Michigan and Traverse City's West Bay. She loved her retirement home's view of the Bay where she enjoyed working in the garden, playing a good game of cards, and entertaining family and friends.

Maxine was a member of Central Untied Methodist Church in Traverse City, a volunteer at Munson Medical Center, and a member of the National Association of Federal Employees. She has been a resident for the past five years at Boulder Park Nursing Home in Charlevoix. She will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Inurnment will be in Atwood Cemetery. Arrangements were made by Hastings Funeral Home in Ellsworth, online at www.hastingsfuneral.com