Boal, Susan Ballard Died on November 21, 2012 at Georgia House, in Charlevoix, Michigan. She was 96

Born on June 23, 1916, in Winnetka, Illinois, Susie was second in a family of seven - Betsey, Susie, Ted, Joe, Sis, Bud, and Sam. She spent summers growing up on Chebeague Island in Casco Bay, near Portland Maine.

After graduating from Vassar College in 1937, she met future husband, Stewart in the autumn, riding to hounds with the Longmeadow Hunt west of Winnetka.Years later friends sang of their courtship: "When Stewart Boal went out to ride / Miss Susie cantered to his side. / She smartly wheeled her horse about / and said, 'It's nice to see you out.' / Then off she went, that pert coquette - / The darling of the horsey set.' / My gosh,' said Stew, 'that girl is cute!' / And galloped off in hot pursuit." Stewie, as everyone called him, proposed to Susie on New Years Eve.They married April 20, 1938, settled in Winnetka and spent summers in Charlevoix, Michigan. The Michigan property had been acquired by Stewie's parents, Ayres and Lesley in 1912, 100 years ago.

Susie co-founded the Chicago-area chapter of Planned Parenthood in 1946. She remained active in it, and later in the North Avenue Day Nursery, throughout her life. Susie and Stewie moved to Charlevoix year-round in 1980.For several years, together they operated Windmill Farm Campground on the site of the family farm, now Dunmaglas Golf Course. Stewie died in a car crash in 2001 on his way to work in Charlevoix nearly 63 years after their wedding. Susie's great talent was writing occasional verse for family birthdays and other festive occasions.

On her own birthday in 1996, she wrote in prose: "I have good news for you.The first 80 years are the hardest.The second is a succession of birthday parties." In 2006, Stewart Jr. and his wife, Sue gathered journals Susie had written over 37 years, and published them in a book, "A Love Affair," the title referring to Susie and Stewart's affection for their summers spent in Charlevoix. She reflected: "To this heavenly haven we regularly brought our children for the summer months from the time they were born.Here they learned swimming, boating, horseback riding and tennis. And here cousinly battles were waged, and cousinly affection grew and flourished. For there are four related family homes in the colony, and over the years, a nucleus of 14 cousins...."

Susie is survived by her brother, Sam Ballard and his wife, Sally; Susie's son, Stewart Jr., his wife, Susan; Stewart Jr.'s son, Scott; daughter-in-law, Suzi; grandson, Dylan; son, Chris; and daughter-in-law, Susan; Susie's son, Ellis and his wife, LuAnne Kozma and step-children, Gregory and Natalie Kozma; and Susie's daughter, Nina.

Winnetka services will be December 8 at Christ Church at 2 p.m.Charlevoix services will be at 11 a.m. December 15 at United Church of Christ.

Instead of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be given to: Planned Parenthood, 1003 Spring Street, Petoskey, MI 49770.

Stewart BOAL, 92, died in a car crash on a snowy Charlevoix-Boyne City Road Wednesday morning, Jan. 3, 2001, on his way to work.

He was born in Winnetka, Ill., on Feb. 21, 1908. When 6 years old, he began spending summers in Charlevoix on family property on the north side of Lake Charlevoix (then called Pine Lake). With his brothers and sister he worked on the farm across the road for half a day and the rest of the day swam and boated on our beautiful lake. He worked hard, played hard and learned a lot.

He graduated from North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka in 1925. While a senior, he, with a friend and a couple of guides, climbed Mount Edith Cavell, one of the highest on our continent. His Harvard class was 1929. He then was a “man about town” in Chicago until his marriage to Susan BALLARD on April 20, 1938.

An entrepreneur in various directions, he started his own company in 1940, Randolph Laboratories, where a variety of fire extinguishers were made. The company prospered during World War II (a fire extinguisher in every tank) and the family grew with two sons and a daughter.

For a year and a half in the Â’40s he co-owned a gold mine in Candle, Alaska.

In 1950 his father, Ayres BOAL, divided the lakefront property among his four children. At that time Stewart bought an old farm house built by a Methodist minister around 1880. It was situated high on a hill, across the road about a mile away. With energy and persistence, he arranged to have the house moved and brought to its present location, surrounded by cedars, spruce and pines, with its beautiful view of the lake, especially the sunsets. They named it “Stewart’s Folie.”

Early in his Chicago career he started the Snow Chase Club, having become enamored of skiing during one high school year in Switzerland. The club was a smash hit with all of the Midwest wannabe skiers, and made many trips to the “Mississippi Alps” of LaCrosse, Wis., where Stewart had built the first rope tow in the Midwest.

Meanwhile, he and Susan were riding avidly to the hounds (drag hunt style) in outlying Chicago meadows and forests in the fall. In Charlevoix in the summers they had horses for the growing number of cousins who spent their summers in beautiful Hayes Township. For more fun and games, they had a lovely 27-foot sloop, Mimosa, to enjoy on local waters and even up to the North Channel.

Stewart acquired his fatherÂ’s farm (his choice) where he raised sheep in growing numbers, but alas kept losing money. So Â… the sheep were sold and in the Â’70s Windmill Farm Campground was inaugurated. The Boals ran it for 10 years with varying degrees of success. They had never camped a day or night in their lives, and so had to start from scratch. It was a lot of fun, very hard work, but they made many new friends. Meanwhile, Stewart and Susan had moved to Charlevoix as permanent residents in 1980.

Finally, getting too old for the heavy-duty life, the farm property was sold, a magic wand waved, and it has now become beautiful Dunmaglas Golf Course.

StewartÂ’s last major sporting adventure was at 90 years old, running the 100m dash for athletes aged 90+ at the Michigan USA Track and Field Championships. He won!

His last business venture was the Pointes North Inn in Charlevoix. A few years ago Stewart and Susan went there thinking of buying a unit to use in the wintertime, where they would be out of the woods and into civilization. What happened? He bought one unit, then another, and another, until finally he became the CEO of his new venture. And what happened to the Boals? They still lived at StewartÂ’s Folie in the woods, and happily so.

Stewart is survived by his wife of 62 years, Susan Ballard Boal; two sons, Stewart BOAL, Jr., and his wife, Susan HUTCHINS, and Ellis Ballard BOAL and his wife, Marilyn MOREHEAD; a daughter, Nina Duryee BOAL; and two grandchildren, Christopher Randall BOAL and Stewart (Scott) McKendree BOAL.

For those who wish to give a gift in his memory, please consider Planned Parenthood, 1003 Spring St., Petoskey, Mich. 49770; to the First Congregational Church, 101 State St., Charlevoix, Mich., 49720; or to Crooked Tree Arts Council, 461 E Mitchell, Petoskey, Mich., 49770.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at the First Congregational Church in Charlevoix, with supper to follow at 5 p.m. On Saturday, March 17, the inurnment will be held at Christ Church in Winnetka, Ill.

Arrangements are being handled by Winchester Funeral Home in Charlevoix.

Transcribed from the web edition of the "Petoskey News-Review ", a newspaper serving the Emmet Co., MI area.