Madeleine Sonneville (1922-2019)

SPELLETICH, SONNEVILLE, VON KORFF

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 9/4/2019 at 06:51:22

Madeleine Spelletich Sonneville

May 9, 1922- June 11, 2019

DAVENPORT-Madeleine Spelletich Sonneville, of Davenport, died on June 11, 2019 at the age of 97.

Maddy is survived by her sons, Jeff Ocheltree, his children, Celina, Kalman, and Myles, and Joe Ocheltree. Her daughter Laurie pre-deceased her. She is also survived by David Sonneville and his wife, Diane, and their daughter Ann; Jan Sonneville Collier and her husband Chris, and their children Stacey, Michael and David; and Kathy Sonneville, along with many nieces and nephews and their families.

Her husband Robert Sonneville preceded her in death, as did her parents and her siblings Kaye Spelletich Getz and husband Bill, Kalman 'Spec' Spelletich and his wife Marge, and Stephen Spelletich and his wife Jo Marie.

Cremation has taken place and a memorial service for Maddy will be held Friday, September 13th at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 121 West 12th Street, Davenport. A luncheon will follow in the church hall.

Mother, stepmother, grandmother, aunt and great friend, Maddy was born in Davenport, Iowa, May 9, 1922, to Hilda Von Korff and Kalman Spelletich, their third child and younger daughter.

She grew up in Davenport, graduated from Davenport's old St. Katharine's School and attended the University of Iowa. Upon her return to Davenport, she worked at WOC radio hosting a daytime interview show as 'Madeleine Starr'. She moved on to the advertising department of Parker's Department Store, and then to The Daily Times in Rock Island. Maddy was transferred to the Davenport office of The Times, where a recruiter for The United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve, better known as the WAVES) visited. She signed up and proceeded to boot training at Hunter College in New York and at Oklahoma A & M, after which she was posted to Boston, processing servicemen going abroad. Maddy often said that one of the benefits of her time in service was the opportunity to enjoy the theatre, symphony and museums while in Boston. She was discharged in 1945 and returned to Davenport.

Maddy was married that year to Ernest Ocheltree of Davenport, who served in the U.S. Navy. Following their marriage, they lived in Seattle and Marysvillle, Washington, and in Pasadena and Van Nuys, California. They had three children, Jeff, Laurie and Joe.

In 1952 Maddy and the children moved back to Davenport. She returned to the world of journalism, working at the Quad Cities Times. Maddy's assignments for the paper included interviews with visiting artists and entertainers, covering Fashion Week in New York City, and writing about the cultural and social scene in the Quad Cities. For years she wrote a regular column on a wide range of subjects. Her archives include a photograph of her with Joan Crawford.

In 1968 Maddy married Bob Sonneville of Moline and enlarged her family with the addition of his children Dave, Jan and Kathy. Maddy's own extended family was delighted that, after the death of Maddy's mother, she and Bob chose to live in the home of her parents on Forest Road.

One of Maddy and Bob's great common interests was the Playcrafters Barn Theatre in Moline, where they both spent endless hours attending to anything and everything that needed doing, from set-building to costumes, taking roles in plays and serving as ushers. Maddy continued to serve as a volunteer in the box office well into her 90s.

Bob died in 1989, and soon thereafter Maddy moved to Parkwood Drive, where she lived happily for 30 years.

Maddy was a life-long member and dedicated volunteer at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Davenport, the church her family attended throughout their lives and where her parents had both been active.

She was always an avid reader and a member of numerous book clubs. As the years and then the decades passed, Maddy claimed she had to join new book clubs with younger members as her friends were getting too old. Besides writing professionally for many years, Maddy also enjoyed writing for pleasure – poems, special greetings for birthdays and anniversaries, and offerings for her writing group. She also had a passion for tennis, which she enjoyed playing for years until she couldn't smash her serve any more, and then she was just as passionate about following the game on television. She also loved a lively game of Rummikub with her good friends.

An accomplished gardener, Maddy's yard was always a pleasure, and she used the fruits of her landscape to adorn her house. She cherished her family and friends, and loved staying in touch with all of them by telephone. Her keen sense of humor and hearty laugh were her hallmark, as was her penchant for wearing beautiful shades of blue, turquoise and lavender. She savoured her bourbon-and-seven, good food with a glass of wine, and she eagerly followed the news. Maddy had several rescue dogs, whom she loved, and Amber, her last dog, was with her on her final day.

Cherished by her extended family, including 14 nieces and nephews, Maddy will be remembered as a wise, funny and indomitable woman and a remarkable role model. She lived a long, brave and good life, and remained interested to the end in what was going on in the world, and in the lives of her family and friends. She will be missed.

Contributions in Maddy's memory can be made to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 121 W. 12th Street, Davenport, IA 52803; or to Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950-35th Avenue, Moline, IL 61265.

Published in Quad-City Times on Sept. 4, 2019