Genevieve Lorraine Linderman, 95, of St. Joseph, formerly of Sister Lakes, passed away at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, at her home.

Genevieve was born on Aug. 23, 1914, in Fennville, to Kathryn and Earl LeRoy Tippy.
Her family then moved to Peoria, Ill., where they all suffered the Spanish influenza in the 1918 pandemic.

Genevieve’s 24-year-old father and 2-year-old sister died in that outbreak. She and her mother survived the deadly disease, then went to live with her paternal grandparents in Metamora, Ill.

After high school, Genevieve worked for an insurance company, then eventually began working for the Northwest Railroad, where she became a statistician. She worked for the railroad until her retirement in 1976.

Genevieve married William Linderman in Chicago, Ill., on Dec.4, 1952.

They lived in Chicago until their retirement, when they moved to Sister Lakes.

After her husband’s death in 1982, Genevieve moved to her beloved apartment on Round Lake in Sister Lakes. She and her precious cat, Mandy, enjoyed many years watching sunsets there.

During this time Gen became a world traveler and enjoyed traveling with groups, one of which was the Lakeland Hospital Auxiliary.

Among the many countries she visited were Iceland, Egypt, China, Ireland, England and France. She also spent several winters in Florida.

In 2002, she moved to the Whitcomb retirement home in St. Joseph, where she lived until her death.

Genevieve was preceded in death by: her father, Earl LeRoy Tippy; mother, Kathryn Wheatly Tippy; sister, Gertrude Tippy; and her husband, William Linderman.

She is survived by her dear friends Michael Magin and Carolyn Baiers of Sister Lakes, who became her extended family, and by long time friends, Sandee Marks of St. Joseph and Betty Fowler Gottscnalk of Minneapolis, Minn., and special hospice nurse, Heather.
Graveside services for Genevieve will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at Crystal Springs Cemetery.

The family is being served by McLauchlin-Clark Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan.

Please sign her guestbook and leave a memory of Genevieve at www.mclauchlin-clark.com.