Houghton --- Carmen Liddick of Houghton, finished her race on July 23, 2026 at the age of eighty-eight. She has only begun to be missed by her family whom she loved dearly.

Born June 4, 1938 in Grand Rapids, MI, Carmen lived in the surrounding countryside and small suburbs through her growing up years and graduated from Coopersville High School. Her late parents, Gerald and Mildred (Way) VanderVeen, founded LaVeen’s Department Store, which served the western suburbs of Grand Rapids, MI, for more than 60 years before it closed in 2010. Carmen earned her B.A. degree in English in 1960 from Houghton College, now University (Houghton, NY).

Following college Carmen taught high school English in Sparta and Kent City, MI, and earned her Master’s degree from the University of Michigan before accepting a position on the faculty of Olivet Nazarene College, Kankakee, IL. In 1964 she married college classmate Dean Liddick and moved to western New York, where he was Houghton College public information director. Carmen taught English at Letchworth Central School in Gainesville, NY, at Houghton College, and for sixteen years at Houghton Academy, where she was English department head. She retired in 1996 because of chronic Lyme Disease, complications of which she endured until her death.

In addition to her teaching, Carmen was an avid gardener, having a large vegetable garden in her younger years and more recently enjoying choosing and planting flowers for her window box. While raising her family she ran a home exercise group, held a monthly missionary meeting in her home, hosted her children’s friends, and served at Houghton Wesleyan Church in various ways. Another hobby, crocheting, resulted in one or more afghans for each grandchild. Carmen also enjoyed putting jigsaw puzzles together.

An only child, Carmen delighted in her own growing family. With Dean, her husband of nearly 62 years, she had two children, Casda (Nathan) Danner and Mitchell (Karen) Liddick. Carmen’s grandchildren Nicholas (Beth) Liddick, Clayton (Tori) Danner, Courtney (Jonathon) Meyer, Ethan (Amanda) Liddick, Christopher (Abbey) Danner, Justin (Krista) Liddick, Joel (Olivia) Danner, Booker (Grace) Liddick, Colyn, Dominic, and Gavin Liddick and eleven great grandchildren were a tremendous joy to her and she was always happy to listen to them, read to them, and watch or join them in their play.

Her care extended to more challenging duties as well when she cared for both her mother-in-law and mother until their deaths. She traveled widely in the U.S. and made trips to Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland, but enjoyed being home the most.

Surgeries in her early teen years led to some lifelong chronic health issues which she handled with great fortitude. Her mother and a younger cousin both remembered that she “never complained.” That grace, unassuming courage, and consistent demonstration of care and love undergirded her family to the end of her life.

Family and friends may gather at the Kopler Williams Funeral Home, 21 N Genesee Street, Fillmore on Saturday, August 1st from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm A service to remember and celebrate Carmen’s life will be held on Sunday afternoon August 2nd at 3:00 pm in Houghton Wesleyan Church. Rev. Bill Allen will officiate. Burial will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Houghton.

If desired, memorial gifts may be made to the VanderVeen endowed scholarship at Houghton University, to Houghton Wesleyan Church, or to Houghton Academy.