Meta Marie Walvoord (1879-1972)

Mae Walvoord

Meta Marie “Mae” Walvoord

Meta “Mae,” the eighth child of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Walvoord, was born in Cedar Grove on April 21, 1879.

Mae taught a Sunday School Class in the old church building in Sheboygan.  She was very active in the Ladies Aid and was president at one time.  She was also vice-president of the Missionary Society.  She always took an active part in all church suppers — both in Sheboygan and for several years in the Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church.  She was a charter member of the First Presbyterian Church of Sheboygan in 1899.

At Cedar Grove, she was active in White Cross Serving for Missions.

Mae also enjoyed gardening and crocheting.

Mae and Andrew Toutenhoofd

Wedding photo of Mae and Andrew Toutenhoofd in 1901

She married Andrew Toutenhoofd on August 7, 1901 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  Andrew Toutenhoofd was born January 23, 1878 in Westkapelle, Zeeland, Netherlands.

During his youth, Andrew was a salesman for the Alfred Jung Co. in Sheboygan where his family establish a presence.  For 30-years, Andrew was employed by the H.C. Prange Company, progressing from a delivery man to department head and buyer.

The Toutenhoofds later moved to to Cedar Grove where Andrew was employed at the Musebeck Shoe Company since 1940.

Andrew was an elder and Sunday School Treasurer of the Sheboygan Church for many years.  He liked to bowl and was an avid horseshoe player.

The Toutenhoofds celebrated their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary in Cedar Grove on August 7th and 11th, 1951.  The relatives that were present on one or both days were:

  • Mrs. Ann Vande Wall
  • Miss Louise Walvoord
  • Mr. & Mrs. William Walvoord*
  • Mrs. Ann Walvoord – Sheboygan
  • Mrs. John Van Ness*
  • Mr. & Mrs. Lucian Toutenhoofd
  • Mrs. Nellie Palmer
  • Mr. & Mrs. William Welti
  • Mr. & Mrs. Leon Heinze – Portage
  • Mr. & Mrs. Darwin Carpenter – Madison
  • Mr. & Mrs.Phillip Vande Wall
  • Mr. & Mrs.Oscar Vande Wall
  • Mr. & Mrs.Clem Bartzen
  • All of the Toutenhoofd children, including Dr. & Mrs. Ruben Heinrich and granddaughter Nancy Jean from Philadelphia.

*Attendants at the wedding half-a-century before.

More than 200 friends and relatives came for the celebration.  Many beautiful gifts were received.  Among them, was a rocking chair from the Shoe Co. employees;  a beautiful table lamp  from the H.C. Prange Co;   a gorgeous basket of white and yellow gladiolas from Oscar and Agnes Vande Wall’s garden;  a money corsage from the Toutenhoofd Family;  a money Bridal Bouquet from the Walvoord Family;  a money gift from the neighbors; and numerous cards and greetings.

Included in the evening’s program were colored pictures of the couple’s recent golden wedding anniversary trip to Yellowstone National Park, Salt Lake City, and Denver.  On this train trip other members of the tour party serenaded them one evening in honor of the event.

The weather was ideal and flowers were plentiful.

Mae was the first of her large Walvoord family to observe the 50th anniversary of marriage.

Andrew died August 2, 1967 in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin.  Mae died October 18, 1972 in Cedar Grove.

Mae and Andrew had three daughters: Koreen, “Jean” and Ruth.

Koreen Elizabeth Toutenhoofd was born on March 12, 1902 and never married. She attended Carroll College (a Presbyterian college) in Waukesha, Wisconsin for two years. She worked at Evanston Hospital (three years), and did graduate work at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern University.  She died January 1, 1996 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  By a special agreement with the city of Cedar Grove, Koreen was buried in the Walvoord Cemetery.

Henrietta Jeannette “Jean” Toutenhoofd was born on November 13, 1903. She was a graduate of Carroll College in Waukesha. On June 22, 1929 she married Dr. Reuben Henrich. They had one daughter, Nancy Jean. Nancy Jean married Richard Kite Hoffman in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Nancy Jean and Dick have two daughters: Debra Lynn and Karen. Jean died May 27th, 2000 in Winter Haven, Florida.

Ruth Mae Toutenhoofd was born on November 1, 1912. She was a graduate of Carroll College. She received her B.A. degree in 1934. She attended a business college in Sheboygan. She received a Bachelor of Science in Education. She was a second-grade teacher in Sheboygan for twenty years. She completed a master’s degree program in the summer of 1969. On June 7, 1941 she married Leslie A. Stovall. They had no children. Leslie was born on May 9, 1910 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. He was the son of Richard S. and Mary E. Stovall. He received a Bachelor of Education in 1933 from State University, Platteville, Wisconsin and a Master of Arts degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1942. He taught high school biology and other sciences for twenty-nine years (nineteen in Sheboygan). He had also been an athletic coach and a high school principal. He died on April 28, 1965 of a coronary heart attack. Ruth died July 29, 2005 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Updated: December 3, 2015 — 6:27 PM