Mary Morris Larimer #513 - Back to Book 3

My Grandfather, Dr William L Freyhof, was a cardiologist from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was asked by Logan Thomson (previous owner of the Herschede cottage) to consider coming to Northern Michigan during the summer. Mr Thomson, concerned about possible heart issues, wanted his personal doctor near by. My Grandfather agreed & immediately fell in love with the area. He purchased #513 in 1939.

My Grandparents, mom & her sister, Betty, and our family spent many happy years here. My father’s father ( Joseph G Morris) owned #201 ( now Stella Alexander’s cottage) for a few years. My parents met each other one summer when Mom’s parents were renting the Tate’s cottage ( now Acker)

Tragically my grandparents were killed in an automobile accident in the Fall of 1963 driving home to Cincinnati. Insert picture#1

My mother inherited the cottage & we continued to summer here. In the mid 70’s, my father sold his business in Cincinnati and my parents moved full time to Charlevoix. My Dad became a realtor, ran for & won a seat on City council. During the next 10 years my parents were involved with the Episcopalian church, bridge tournaments ( that benefited Charlevoix Hospital) & met many wonderful friends in the community. Jim & I were married here in 1975, had the rehearsal dinner at the Golf club, service at the Episcopalian church & reception at the casino. I was a junior at Denison when I met Jim in Granville, Ohio. He asked what I did in the summer. I said I go to Charlevoix , Michigan, a small town you probably have never heard about. He replied, I know it well as I was a camp counselor at Camp Charlevoix in 1969. Always a small world !

In 1982 my dad suffered a stroke in March. Our daughter was born on May 3 rd ( my grandfather’s birthday !) and sadly Dad died later that September.
Our children,Mary & William enjoyed many happy summers with Mom, attending gang, later working as gang leaders and making many friends. Insert picture # 2 & 3& 4
 



My mother spent the next 20 years here at the cottage. At one point there were 4 widows living full time in Belvedere, Mom, Mrs Schlemann, Peggy Disbro, & Rosemary Mueller. In the winter, rotating cottages, they would gather to have their nightly cocktail, cheese & crackers & lively intelligent conversations regarding current events. Tom Conlan, the warden at the time, probably had his hands full !
A generation later, I find we have continued this tradition. On our circle around 5 pm we often wander over to either the Parrish/Bemis, Orr or Bisbee cottage to enjoy a drink. Discussions revolve around our golf game that day, a hot Belvedere topic or world event and always full of laughter !

My mother died in 2003. Cleaning out a closet I came upon a map case. I started to pitch the entire thing but out of curiosity opened it. Insert picture # 5
I can only imagine the cocktail party the group had that evening !

The summer I came up after my mother died, I remember that Chris Jones greeted me with a warm smile & hug & said welcome home !
Tears came to my eyes as I realized that Charlevoix was really now my home.

“ You can take the girl out of Northern Michigan, but you can’t take Northern Michigan out of the girl”