Alice Esterline Obituary

Mrs. Alice May (Bell) Esterline, 92, passed away peacefully, Sunday, June 15, at her home in Madison, AL with her daughter Joy, by her side. She was born Alice May Bell to John F. and Gwendolyn A. (Goldsmith) Bell in Bankers, MI, on March 9, 1933.
Residing in Hillsdale County most of her life, Alice sang in the Special Chorus, at Hillsdale High School, and graduated from Litchfield High School in 1951. Alice married Thomas J. Esterline, of Jonesville, on July 8, 1954. The couple resided in Hillsdale County, worked in the area and raised three children, two graduating from Hillsdale High and one from Reading High. Mrs. Esterline was a leader in the Campfire Girls and the Cub Scouts, when her children were members. Alice shared her great love of music with her family, constantly singing, playing recordings of a variety of music and encouraging her children to be involved in school music programs and take lessons, which they all did. She also became an avid reader in her spare time. She worked at the Draft Board and Robinsons Directories in Hillsdale, then at Wagner Industries when she moved to the country near Reading. Alice was the manager of the Dawn Theater in Hillsdale for 18 years and Tom Esterline was on staff. Alice and Tom spent their later years at their peaceful home in Litchfield. They traveled around Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, photographing old schools and collecting data for her genealogy. Alice continued genealogy work that her mother, Gwen Bell, had started researching many years earlier. She was active in the DAR and volunteered weekly at the Research Center on North Manning Street in Hillsdale. Alice worked seasonally at Raker's Acres near Litchfield, enjoying the casual environment and making new friends. When not working, she traveled with her children, visiting National Parks and other interesting sites around the US. In 2019, Mrs. Esterline moved to Macon, GA to be near her son, Matthew and his family. Then in 2022, she moved to Huntsville, AL near daughter, Joy and her family.
Alice Esterline is survived by her sister, Diane Hines of Albion, MI. Alice's three children daughter, Joy (Michael) Thomas, of Huntsville, AL, and grandchildren, David (Melissa) Thomas, of Huntsville, AL and Sarah (JB) Wilder of Athens, AL and Daniel (Ashley) Thomas of Huntsville, AL, and 6 great grandchildren, and Daughter, Marion (Jim) Umgelter of Sacramento, CA and son, Matthew (Christine) Esterline and grandson, Austin of Birchwood, TN. Alice was preceded by her husband, Thomas Esterline, and sister, Jean and her husband, Warren Jahn and brother-in-law, Ed (Diane) Hines.
A Memorial Service will be held on 7/11/2025 @ 11 a.m., at Oak Grove Cemetery, 7 West Montgomery St. Hillsdale. Please Bring a Chair. Followed at 12:30 p.m. by A Celebration Picnic for Alice at Owen Memorial Park, 280 Waterworks Dr. (the 2nd park) on Baw Beese Lake, Hillsdale. At the back Pavilion with picnic tables. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Mitchell Research Center, 22 North Manning Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242 (check or cash) or: You can use Venmo for online contributions: Venmo Christine Esterline @Christine-Esterline-1.
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