Florence A. VanEvery

Florence A. (Zawadzki) Van Every
July 10, 1937 - November 4, 2025

Florence A. "Flo" (Zawadzki) Van Every was born on July 10, 1937, in Niagara Falls, New York, to John and Genevieve "Jenny" (Kania) Zawadzki. Both of her parents were also born in Niagara Falls to Polish immigrant families. Flo spent her early years surrounded by the Kania and Zawadzki families in Niagara Falls' close-knit Polish community.

During World War II, her father, John, served in the U.S. Navy, while her mother, Jenny, worked in a local factory. After the war, John remained in the Navy, and Flo moved with her family to various duty stations, including Newport News and Portsmouth, Virginia; Naples, Italy; and Boston, Massachusetts.

While in Naples, Flo met Desha O. "Van" Van Every, a young U.S. sailor from Manistee, Michigan. After chatting with Van and several other sailors, Flo realized she would be late getting home, so she brought them along, telling her family a tall tale about the sailors being lost. Her father, a Navy cook, fed them all. Although Flo and Van only saw each other a few times after that, they corresponded regularly. One day, her engagement ring arrived in the mail. They were married on February 16, 1957, in Boston and spent their honeymoon driving across the country to Southern California, where Van's brother Pete lived. They settled there, and later their son Kenneth ("Ken") was born in Long Beach.

Around 1960, Van joined the U.S. Army, and Flo transitioned from being a Navy "brat" to an Army wife. Their daughter Kathleen ("Kathy") was born in Germany, and their son Steven ("Steve") was born at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The family moved to various Army posts, spending most of their time in Germany and at Fort Sill. Flo was active in the Officers' Wives Club and enjoyed bowling in an Army wives league while in Germany. She made lifelong friends with other Army families, including Don and Ann Ruth, Dave and Jo Ferris, and Harry and Eileen Lamoree.

After Van retired in 1975, they settled in Adams, New York, where they lived until about 1981. Flo was active in the volunteer fire department's ladies auxiliary, while Van volunteered as a firefighter. They later moved to Southern California, then to Sebring, Florida, to be near Van's sister, Ruth Van Every Harkness, and her husband Harley. In Sebring, Flo was active in the Order of the Eastern Star and served as Worthy Matron. In 2007, they moved to Gaylord, Michigan. Flo and Van were married for sixty years until Van passed away in 2017.

Flo embraced her remaining years with energy and spirit. She lived in Texas, then Louisiana near her brothers, and finally in Petoskey, Michigan, near her son Ken. She became good friends with Susan Barsch, a friend of her daughter Kathy. Flo continued to travel well into her eighties. In 2018, she returned to Germany with Kathy, Ken, and Ken's wife Debbie-their first trip back together since leaving in 1975. She also enjoyed a Viking cruise along the Danube to visit the Christmas markets, a holiday she especially loved. The following year, she traveled to Poland with Kathy, Susan, and her brother David, visiting Rozniaty and Gawłuszowice, where her beloved grandmother Agnes Babula Kania had been born and baptized. The trip led to the discovery of cousins Dorota Skoroś and Bożena Zygiel, previously unknown due to the separation caused by World War II and the Soviet occupation. She also journeyed through Greece and Italy. On a Mediterranean cruise, Flo and her brother David had the chance to return to Naples. With help from a friend in Sorrento, they found the neighborhood where they had lived as children-the same place where young Flo had met Van decades before. She made regular trips to Lemont, Illinois, for Fourth of July celebrations at her grandson Kenny's home, where the whole family gathered. She delighted in her eight great-grandchildren, the youngest being Lia.

Flo was devoted to her Catholic faith. She loved to entertain, and her passion for history ran deep-from American history, especially the Civil War, to ancient Egypt. She enjoyed visiting historical sites and was always ready for a trip to a history museum. She had a lifelong love of music, particularly opera, and enjoyed watching old movie musicals. When her family lived in Boston, she would sit outside Symphony Hall listening to the musicians practice-a memory she cherished for the rest of her life.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Van, and her brother, Walter "Sonny" Zawadzki.

She is survived by her children: Ken (Debbie) Van Every of Indian River, Michigan; Kathy Van Every of McKinney, Texas; and Steven (Linda) Van Every of Carbonear, Newfoundland; her brothers, David Zawadzki and Jim Zawadzki of Louisiana; her grandchildren, Tonia Hayes (Charlie) of Florence, Kentucky, Kenny Van Every (Kelly) of Lemont, Illinois, and Megan Wallace (Troy) of Kalamazoo, Michigan; and her great-grandchildren, Anna Hayes, Matt Hayes, Molly Hayes, Andrew Hayes, Norah Wallace, Phoebe Wallace, Lucy Wallace, and Lia Van Every.

Those who wish are asked to consider memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society.

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