Carmen Louise VanderVeen Liddick

HOUGHTON — Carmen Liddick, of Houghton, finished her race on Thursday (July 23, 2026) at the age of 88. She has only begun to be missed by her family whom she loved dearly.

Born June 4, 1938, in Grand Rapids, Mich., 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 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.

Following college, Carmen taught high school English in Sparta and Kent City, Mich., and earned her master’s degree from the University of Michigan before accepting a position on the faculty of Olivet Nazarene College, Kankakee, Ill.

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, at Houghton College and for 16 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 11 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 from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026) at the Kopler Williams Funeral Home, 21 N. Genesee St., Fillmore. A service to remember and celebrate Carmen’s life will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon, Aug. 2, 2026, 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.

Online condolences may be made at www.koplerwilliamsfuneralhome.com.