Jeanne Haapala

Jeanne M. Haapala loved to be surrounded by her family and loved spending her time being a devoted wife, mother and grandmother to the people who brought her life joy.

The “Roaring 20s” were an interesting period in our history. It was an era of fads and fashion. Slang became popular and a woman could be called a “dame” or “doll” and if she could sing she was a “canary.” Jargon of the day included words like jellybean, blind date or the real McCoy. The fast times of the 20s were of little concern to John and Ethel Durkin of Detroit, Michigan. Already the proud parents of Marjorie, Robert and John Jr., on January 1, 1922, they welcomed the birth of another daughter, Jeanne Marie, who was later followed by sister Patricia and brother Gerald. John worked as a purchasing agent at Murray Corp. while Ethel was busy raising their children.

Jeanne was a dedicated student and quite an athlete in grade school. She did extremely well in her academic career at Detroit Cooley High School where she graduated summa cum laude in 1939, with several scholar awards. When not attending school or sports activities, Jeanne also found time to volunteer as a nurse’s aide at the area hospital.

After graduation, Jeanne took a job as a secretary at McDonnell - Douglas. She later became secretary to one of the top managers at Vickers, a hydraulics company. It was here that she met Eric Haapala, who also worked at Vickers and had just returned to the office after a business trip. He immediately took notice of the beautiful young woman handing out paychecks and approached her with the pretext of a work situation in order to introduce himself. The young couple soon began dating and enjoyed going to University of Michigan football games in Ann Arbor and attended all company events together.

It wasn’t easy for Eric, though, as a Scandinavian man trying to woo a strong Roman Catholic Irish woman. He was constantly scrutinized by her family who wanted to know of his future intentions with Jeanne. It didn’t help Eric’s plight that he was 14 years older than Jeanne and had a son, Bill, from his first wife who had died years before. One day while picking Jeanne up for work, she invited him in to meet her father for the first time. While everyone was in the kitchen, the men were left alone to get to know each other. Eric then had to be interviewed by the parish priest, who was also Irish. Coming from a very religious family, Jeanne had thoughts of entering the convent and after Eric proposed marriage to her, she went on a retreat to decide her rightful path in life. It was a very happy day on September 17, 1949, when Eric and Jeanne were finally married.

Although Jeanne felt she was only Bill’s stepmother, their relationship soon grew to be so much more and she treated him as if he were her own. She even left her job in order to devote herself to the role of a mother. The family of three settled down in their first home together on Snowden, in Detroit, where Jeanne and Eric welcomed the birth of their first daughter, Therese. Because of a company transfer, Eric moved his family to Joplin, Missouri. Here the Haapala household boomed with the birth of five more children: Robert, Eric, Christine, Steven and John. Tragically, Robert died at the age of 11 after complications from hernia surgery when he was six, which resulted in brain damage. Jeanne lovingly cared for him until his end.

Ten days after John was born, the family then moved to Jackson, Mississippi for a while before returning to Detroit. They took up residence at a home on Snowden just down the street from the home where their lives together began. There was one more move for the family in 1964, to a home they had built in Southfield, Michigan. After settling her family in their new home, Jeanne went to work at the National Bank of Southfield, where she would eventually be honored with the Secretary of the Year Award in 1985, for the City of Southfield. Soon after moving to Southfield, Jeanne and Eric received a wonderful surprise with the birth of their daughter, Margaret, who completed the Haapala family.

After Eric and Jeanne had both retired, they began to pursue their passion of genealogy more fervently. This search for their family heritage led them on trips to Sweden, Ireland and Ohio. Jeanne’s favorite days were Christmas, other holidays and birthdays, for these times represented an opportunity for all of her family to come together. She loved to surprise someone on their birthday with six or seven small gifts rather than just one present. Jeanne loved her role as a mother and grandmother, and she was happiest whenever her home was filled with the love and laughter of her precious grandchildren. Whether she was playing ball with them or teaching her granddaughters to sew, she cherished every moment they were together. Whenever her grandchildren came to visit, they could always count on a sweet treat and a box of toys ready for them. Throughout her life, Jeanne considered her family to be her greatest gift and blessing. Her daughter Therese admiringly said of her mother “She was a saint.”

Jeanne’s life was filled with the wonderful simple things of life, like listening to traditional Irish songs and music by Bing Crosby or tinkering with something around the house that needed repair. Although she loved to shop, Jeanne was always frugal minded, as her mother before her. After raising eight children, she learned to spend wisely and get the most for her money. This didn’t mean that she sacrificed her sense of style though; she still bought the classy clothes – just on sale. One thing that upheld Jeanne throughout her life was her strong Catholic faith. She was a faithful member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church and an active member in the Women’s Guild at St. Michael and selflessly did volunteer work within the church.

In 1997 Jeanne began to show signs of early dementia and in January 2003, Jeanne’s health had worsened due to the effects of dementia and she required constant care, which she received at an assisted living facility, in Bingham Farms, MI. It was here that her long-term battle ended on Saturday, October 9, 2004.

Jeanne Marie Haapala died on Saturday, October 9, 2004, surrounded by her husband and family. Her family includes her husband, Eric Haapala; children: William (Nancy) Haapala, Therese (Derek) Marshall, Eric (Deborah) Haapala, Christine (Robert) Oosdyke, Steven (Deborah) Haapala, John (Peggy) Haapala, Margaret (Michael) Kurpiers, and the late Robert Haapala; 20 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter; sister, Patricia McCarthy; and brother, Gerald Durkin.

Friends may spend time with Jeanne’s family on Tuesday, October 12, from 5-9 p.m. and on Wednesday, October 13, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. with a rosary service at 7:00 p.m. at McCabe Life Story Funeral Homes, 31950 West 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills. On Thursday, October 14, Jeanne will be in-state at 9:00 a.m. with a 10:00 a.m. Mass at St. Michael Catholic Church in Southfield. Please visit Jeanne’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory, order flowers or make a memorial contribution to the St. Michael Franciscan Poverty Program.

Although Jeanne will be deeply missed, her legacy of love and dedication leaves her loved ones with wonderful memories and a strong foundation to look to for comfort.