Marva Dawn Felt

Marva Dawn Felt was a special woman - devoted to her family and her faith. She always made time for her family and friends, and the kindness and love she showed were just a few of her very special qualities. Always thinking of others before herself, Dawn was a ray of sunshine for those close enough to receive the gift of her warmth. With the Great Depression hanging over the country, the year 1932 was a time of difficulty for all Americans, whether you lived in the city or in the country. The unemployment rate pushed toward new heights, and those few who had jobs, were often underpaid and overworked. It was a challenging time, but Merle Goodrich and his wife, Hazel (Mast), of Muskegon, Michigan maintained their positive spirits by focusing on a new blessing in their lives. On January 27, 1932, they welcomed the birth of their daughter, Marva Dawn, who was a "tiny" bundle of joy. Because of her littleness, Merle kept his new baby girl close, as if to make sure to protect her from the bigness of the world around her. Dawn as she was called might have been petite in size much of her life, but she proved to be mighty too. The third oldest of seven children, Dawn had three sisters and three brothers, and she held her own among them. In fact, she could outrun the boys any day of the week. Her father, Merle, was a gentle man, who faithfully provided for the family as a machinist at Continental Motors in Muskegon. Dawn learned much by her mother's example in how to be a wonderful wife, mother and homemaker. Her parents were always pretty tolerant with the children and very much "glued to each other." Like many young girls, Dawn enjoyed roller skating, dancing and going to the movies with friends. On one such outing, Dawn had tripped over a fence and broke her kneecap on the way to a movie, but that didn't stop her from going to the movie, watching it, and then being helped home. She ultimately ended up with a cast up to her hip. Dawn received her education in the Muskegon Public Schools and graduated from Muskegon Heights High School. In school, she was nicknamed "Red" because of her feisty spirit, which was bigger than she was. One day while roller skating at the Curvecrest, Dawn met a handsome serviceman named James W. Felt, and it wasn't long before the two were romantically involved. After James completed his basic training in the U.S. Navy, the young couple was married and they went to live in Norfolk, Virginia until his tour of duty was complete. Because Dawn weighed a mere 98 lbs. on her wedding day, her wedding dress was a small fit and it was hard for her daughters to wear it when it came to their special day, although they really wanted too. James and Dawn then moved back to Muskegon, where they would raise their six wonderful children: James Jr., Gregory, Richard, Sue, Patti and Kelly. Dawn ran a tight ship at home, and bath time usually looked like a well working assembly line. Since she couldn't be everywhere all the time, Dawn liked to remind her kids, "I have eyes in the back of my head." As parents, they were both very active in their children's lives and were involved in their many activities, including Webelos, Pee Wee football, 4'H and as Cub Scout leaders. When it came to vacations, the family enjoyed heading up north to the Upper Peninsula, where one year they rented a cottage. Dawn also enjoyed going to the lake in their VW, which was packed to its max with nine people. Besides being a devoted wife and mother, Dawn also worked outside the home as a clerk in the Secretary of States Office in Muskegon. She and James were also able to build their "dream house", and they made sure to get it on a video with Dawn holding a big sign saying "Our Dream House." Over the years, they made many wonderful memories in their home with their family for the holidays and get togethers. Dawn was always in her glory surrounded by the love and smiles of her children and precious grandchildren, whom she adored. However, some of her most cherished memories were of her 25th, 35th and 50th wedding anniversaries with her beloved husband James. Aside from her family, Dawn was also upheld in life by her strong faith, which she depended on greatly every day. She was an active member of the Faith Baptist Church, where she enjoyed giving of her time and talents with arts and crafts up until she became ill. A real night owl, Dawn would some times get up out of bed just to work on some arts and crafts or be inspired to write poetry. Another of Dawn's passions was for genealogy and she did a lot of traveling and research in pursuit of her family's history. She found that they had a lot of Mennonite relations in their ancestors, especially in Pennsylvania. After Dawn retired from work, she took to doing a lot of work on the computer at home. Marva Dawn Felt died at her home on Saturday, March 31, 2007, surrounded by her loving family and compassionate hospice caregivers. All who knew and loved Dawn will treasure her memory.