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Jane VanEvera

Jane VanEvera

GWINN, MI. – February 1, 1947 – February 3, 2017 Jane VanEvera, most recently from Gwinn MI. Jane passed away peacefully Friday Feb 3rd, 2017, at home in her sleep.

A lover of art, and an artist herself, Jane was fascinated by the unusual and unique qualities of art pieces and the people she was close to. She found the best in people and the more unique they were, the better. She had an open heart to anyone in need, and those who knew her felt at home in her presence. She saw beauty in the world, intimately felt the impact of injustice and stood up for what she believed in. She felt we could and should break out of molds and stereotypes, set our own paths, surround ourselves with those we admire, and define our own lives. She had a witty and wise sense of humor, a wonderful contagious laugh and a beautiful smile. She would have smirked at our struggle to sum up a life well-lived in a few short paragraphs.

Jane was born to Robert and Betty (Foard) VanEvera in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Early in life she moved often with her family, even landing in Jamaica for a short while. She spent the majority of her childhood in Arlington, Virginia. She attended Webster College in St. Louis, Missouri and then Northern Michigan University in Marquette where she earned a BA. She married Louis Carr and had three children, Stephen (Kimberlee Carr), Carol (Steve Uren) and Kevin (Liz Carr), making a home in Marquette.

She raised her children to know they could accomplish anything, and nothing need hold them back from their dreams and ambitions. Jane led by example, moving west to follow and explore dreams of her own for many years, living by the motto “not all who wander are lost.” After pursuing her art in California and Arizona, Jane returned to Marquette with a desire to be closer to her children and beloved grandchildren. In her pursuit of art and knowledge, she met and married Vic Holliday. She spent the last five wonderful years of her life sharing a love of art, humor, history, cats and so much more with Vic. She had a sense of peace and was surrounded by love and support. She found joy in sharing art with her five grandchildren, Isabel, Maddie, Connor, Kalyn and Auguste. As she did with her children, she supported them in all their different activities and dreams and was fiercely proud of everything they did.

She is deeply missed by her husband Vic, her children, her grandchildren, her six siblings and all of her wonderful and dear friends who were truly a family of her own making.

Jane believed life was for living. She would want to be celebrated, not mourned. She would want to go out with song and dance and definitely a glass of wine. She would want her cherished friends and family to continue to live loudly and to honor her memory with love, laughter, curiosity, adventure and perhaps some wacky outfits.

To that end, a celebration of her life will be held in Calumet at the Calumet Art Center at 2:00 pm on August 19, 2017. All who knew Jane are invited to come and celebrate this amazing life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Art for Veterans Program, a program Jane and Vic started and supported (c/o Ed Gray at the Calumet Art Center, Calumet, Michigan 49913).