Evelyn Ann (Miklas) Stege, 100, passed away at Green Acres in Manistee. She was born to the late Josephine (Bialik) Miklas and Vincent A. Miklas on April 13, 1924. She was born in the front bedroom of their home on Sycamore Street on Palm Sunday. She attended Guardian Angels School and later graduated from Manistee High School with the Class of 1942. In the Senior Hall of Fame, she was voted MOST ORIGINAL and MOST PERSONALITY. She attended the University of Michigan and graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and a Minor in Art. She had been born with a heart defect, Patent Ductus Arteriosus, which limited her physical activity. She waited until after graduation to have a relatively new surgical procedure to repair it because she said if she didn't survive the surgery, she'd have at least accomplished something in her life. The surgery was successful and allowed her to lead a normal life.

After the University she moved to Dallas, Texas to work for the Board of Commerce of Dallas. There she wrote copy for radio programs. She always said how much she enjoyed the job and wondered what she might have accomplished if she had stayed there. However, a certain high school classmate continued to woo her, and she returned to Manistee. On September 17, 1949, she married the love of her life, W. Thomas "Tom" Stege at Guardian Angels Church. After marriage she worked for a brief time selling advertising for The Manistee News Advocate. Then motherhood and family took over and she settled into a life as homemaker to her family.

She was a member of the Manistee Golf & Country Club, the Manistee County Historical Museum and the Lakeside Club, AAUW and the Advisory Board for The Berndine Tuohy U of M Scholarship Fund. She played lots of Bridge with friends. She was a college football fan and saw many MSU Spartan games with her husband, including more than 50 MSU-UM games. She loved to plan trips to Europe and the Middle East with their good friends Dan and Dorothy Hesslin. They most often went to Italy but also visited France, Germany, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Greece and Malta.

In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her in-laws George W. & Lillian (Jondro) Stege, Close Friend and Brother Vincent A. Miklas and his wife Eileen (Anderson) Miklas, a sister-in-law Cynthia Stege, son-in-law John Lutchko, and three nephews, Vin, Shawn and Mark Miklas.

She is survived by a daughter Katherine "Kate" Lutchko of Manistee and sons Charles Stege of Brethren, Thomas (Renate) Stege of Manistee and George (Amy) Stege of Villa Park, Illinois and special daughter- in-law Beth Pieczynski of Manistee; grandchildren Aaron (Chelsea) Hoxie of Maple City, Aisha (Scott) Crellin of Traverse City, Sarah Hoxie of Traverse City, Stuart Love of Petoskey, Ryan Love of Mobile, Alabama and Jason Stege of Annapolis, Maryland; great grandchildren Elijah and Freeda Hoxie, Sophia, Collin and lan Crellin, and Kyle, Kaylee and Kennedy Stege. Numerous nieces and nephews also survive.

She was well taken care of by the Staff of Green Acres and by a previous caregiver at home, Penny Serio. The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks for the kindness and love they all shared with Evelyn.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Friday, June 7, 2024, at Guardian Angels Church in Manistee, with the Reverand Mitchel Roman officiating, with interment to follow at Oak Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Oak Grove Funeral Home in Manistee on Thursday, June 6, 2024, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM with the Evening Vigil Service at 8:00 PM.

Those wishing to remember Evelyn are asked to make a donation either to the Guardian Angels Restoration Fund or the Manistee County Historical Museum.

Please visit Evelyn's personal page of memories at www.oakgrovefh.com to share a photo or memory. Oak Grove Funeral Home in Manistee is honored to assist the family during this difficult time.