Aileen M. Handley

Aileen Marjorie Handley, 93, of Buchanan, passed away Friday, June 4 2021, at White Oaks Assisted Living in Lawton, Michigan. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11 A.M. on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at Swem Chapel, 301 W. Front St., Buchanan, MI. Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Buchanan. The family welcomes all that wish to celebrate her life to join them for a luncheon following the burial. Friends may also visit with the family from 6-8 P.M. on Tuesday at Swem’s funeral home. Memorial contributions in Aileen’s memory may be made to the Michiana Orchid Society, https://michianaorchidsociety.org. Those wishing to sign Aileen’s Memory Book online may do so at www.swemchapel.com. Aileen was born June 18, 1927 in Three Oaks, Michigan to Herbert & Mae (Kaiser) Wallquist. She grew up in Buchanan on the farm her parents bought around the time of the Great Depression. She graduated from Buchanan High School, class of 1944. On December 14, 1946, she married the love of her life, Elmer Handley at the First (United) Methodist Church in Buchanan. They built a home next to her parents which allowed her to live on the same piece of land for 86 years. They celebrated 70 wonderful years of marriage before Elmer’s passing on September 11, 2017. After raising her sons, she went on to graduate from Lake Michigan College with a degree in Nursing in 1974. She worked as an RN until her retirement in 1985. After which she worked at ElectroVoice for 14 years. Elmer and Aileen were dedicated and founding lifetime members (77 years) of Oronoko United Methodist Church which Elmer helped to build and Aileen was the treasurer and Sunday School teacher for many years. Aileen enjoyed quilting and knitting, much of which she gave to others and donated for fundraising events that she organized for the church. She took pride in the fact that she was able to help establish a Historical Marker at Moccasin Bluff, and created a quilt with this theme which she donated to the Buchanan Township Hall in 2019. She was a long time member of the Michigan Association of Extension Homemakers. While she was an avid Michigan State fan, she liked to watch every Notre Dame football game. She especially enjoyed watching her family participate in sporting events. In her free time and retirement she enjoyed traveling with Elmer in their RV all around the country. They were able to visit Hawaii five times throughout their marriage. She found a great amount of pleasure in bird watching, her beloved cats and growing orchids. She was always pleased to give a beautiful orchid blossom to anyone with whom she visited. Aileen is survived by her son, Terry (Barbara) Handley, daughter-in-law, Gerri Handley; grandchildren, Todd (Stacy) Handley, Melissa Adnson, Jessica Handley, Terry “Paul” Handley, Barbara (Matt) Koets, Angela Handley, and Suzanne Handley; great-grandchildren, Nathan (Macy) Handley, Jeremy (Heather) Handley, Abigail Handley, Emily Handley, Grace Adnson, Liliana Adnson, Olivia Adnson, Isabelle Adnson, Dylan Doty, Barbie Koets, Grace Koets, Luke Koets; great-great-grandchildren, Everett Davis and Vivian Handley; and special nephew, Donald Wallquist, Jr. Aileen, in addition to her husband, Elmer, and son, David Handley, was preceded in death by her parents, Herbert & Mae Wallquist; and siblings, Evelyn Prenkert, Donald, LeRoy & Raymond Wallquist.