Marie Whitaker Van Meter's Obituary
Mrs. Jean Marie Whitaker van Meter (known as Marie), 75, died Friday, February 28, 2008 in Grenora, where she made her home with her sister Claudine Whitaker Larson. Mrs. Van Meter had been in declining health since December and had spent time in the hospital during February.
Funeral services for Marie will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 7, 2008 at Lady's Funeral Home Chapel, Kannapolis, NC. The Rev. Charles Efird will officiate. Burial will follow at Carolina Memorial Park. The family will receive friends at Lady's Funeral Home for one hour prior to the service on Friday.
Marie was born in Cabarrus County on June 1, 1932, a daughter of the late, Claude C. Whitaker and Elva Bowman Whitaker. A graduate of Cannon High School in 1950, she went on to graduate from UNC at Greensboro with a B.A. degree in Education. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma teacher's sorority. Following graduation, she taught school at Jackson Park Elementary School and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Kannapolis. She had also been a member of Kannapolis First Presbyterian Church. During 1955 she and her sister, Claudine, traveled extensively for the National Education Association. In 1958 she moved to Norwalk, CA. She continued to teach elementary school in California for many years, also successfully taking on the challenge of teaching the learning handicapped. It was during this time she met and married her husband, Robert E. van Meter on August 5, 1967 and their son, James van Meter was born on April 12, 1969. She is remembered by Robert as a very loving and strong during difficult times.
Following the death of her father in 1961, Marie returned to Kannapolis on many occasions to care for her mother, living in North Carolina for brief periods in 1975 and 1986 but returned to California both times. Her mother finally relocated to Grenora, North Dakota to live with her sister, Claudine. Following the death of Claudine's husband Frank Larson in 1988, Marie moved to Grenora in 1989 to live with her sister and help take care for her mother, who later died in 2002.
She was very proud and supportive of her son, Jim, and his accomplishments in his education and career. He remembers her with much love as a very caring and devoted mother. Marie enjoyed many things as part of her life including, cooking and baking, collecting recipes, appreciating science, discussing politics. She had a great love for music and also had become an avid fan of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. She is remembered fondly by many close friends including Val Bleken and Shirley and Loyal Larson.
Survivors include her husband, Robert E. van Meter of Victorville, CA, a son, James "Jim" van Meter, PH.D.,of College Park, MD, her sister Claudine Larson of Grenora, ND.
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