Before Valerie Ann Fons was born on February 14, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, she was x-rayed in her mother's womb by a doctor with a new tool, which perhaps contributed to her Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2009. She survived a bone marrow transplant in 2010, with the infusion of her sister Lynette's marrow donation. She endured therapy-induced Myelodysplastic Syndrome in 2017, which morphed into 40 percent blasts of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2018. She received a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor in 2019. At the time of her death, Valerie had survived three leukemias, two transplants, and navigated chronic, severe, and advancing graft vs. host disease, a complication of treatment.
Valerie married Joseph Lee Ervin in 1995, at a garden wedding in Dowagiac, Michigan. Joe wanted the best for Valerie and lavished unconditional love. They adopted six children, Steven, Micala, Shammond, Korrina, Kayla, and Joshua Ervin. These extraordinary children negotiated early childhood trauma, partnered with mom through more than twelve years of cancer treatments and helped care for Joe through ten years of his dementia in their home and his death in 2020.
Valerie was a member of the 1969 class at Westchester HS in Houston, TX
Valerie graduated from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1995 and served Michigan churches until the family moved to Washington Island, Wisconsin, in 2007. An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, she was appointed by Michigan and Wisconsin Conferences and endorsed as chaplain to extension ministry by the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry.
With Valerie's leadership, the family developed a ministry of vocational training and hospitality on Washington Island including Bread & Water, café/ lodging/kayaks, a Paddling Museum, Tipping Bucket Farm & Retreat, L.A.U.N.C.H., Inc. not for profit environmental education center, and the Venita June transitional housing in Sturgeon Bay. Valerie invited and supported eight foreign exchange students, summer ministry interns, and staff at the family farm.
She was a writer, journaling in dime store, vinyl covered small books stamped Dear Diary on the cover when she was a child. Valerie wrote nonfiction with a heart of truth and love in her narrative testimony titled Robustly Fragile, including stories of paddling, parenting, pastoring and being a patient. She authored a devotional guidebook framing Washington Island as a sacred place of prayer, titled Washington Prayer Places. She co-authored From Shame to Glory, a bible study book about the mother and grandmothers in the genealogy of Jesus, with Nancy Regensburger. In 1986, the Mountains published Keep It Moving, Baja by Canoe, the story of Valerie's canoe expedition from Long Beach, California, on the Pacific Ocean to Cabo San Lucas and the Sea of Cortes to Yuma, Arizona.
Valerie spent a decade paddling a total of 30,000 miles. As a citizen ambassador for the State of Michigan, she paddled 21,000 miles, during a 33-month expedition from the Arctic Ocean to Cape Horn. She circumnavigated Baja in a solo canoe. With partner Verlen Kruger, she set the Guinness Book of World Records, racing the 2,348 Mile length of the Mississippi. She co-chaired Grand River Expedition '90, an educational expedition during which fifty-five canoes paddled Michigan's longest river and received a Take Pride in America Award from the George H.W. Bush administration for building public and private partnerships.
Valerie advocated for each of her six children graduating from high school. She watched Micala's graduation on the dean's list with a degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire, and Micala's reunion with her birth mother. She witnessed Kayla continuing her studies in psychology at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She cheered Steve's work with Island Builders. Valerie became the legal guardian for Joshua. She thrilled for Korrina's work in geriatric assisted living care. Valerie encouraged Shammond working with Washington Island neighbors and benefited from Shammond shepherding her to countless medical appointments.
Valerie is survived by her dearest children: Steven, Micala, Shammond, Korrina, Joshua and Kayla, and her siblings, Lynette, Leesa and John Fons. Her favorite places were the dining table with her family and God's creation. Her greatest privilege was advocating for her children, caring for Joe and growing in love. She lived love as eternal. She knew love never fails. The truths she lived by and shared were steady at the helm, all things are possible with God and never, ever quit. Her life lesson bible verse was 2 Timothy 1:7 – "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Washington Island Observer, Community News, 27 April - 10 May 2023, Volume 43, Issue 8, Page 9
