Yvonne W. Frenzel Falkenhagen

It was the era of Jazz, prohibition, and flappers, when Yvonne Wilhelmina Frenzel was welcomed into this world at Galveston's St Mary's Infirmary on February 7, 1924. She was the middle child of three daughters born to parents, Marguerite Tacquard Frenzel and Frank Adolph Frenzel. She came from sturdy French and German stock; her lineage included an extensive line of ancestral matriarchs who, like her, lived very long and healthy lives. 

Yvonne lived an amazing 98+ years. During her time on earth, she witnessed many historic events, great technological progress, and cultural change. With her sharp mind and good long-term memory, even at 98, she could tell you detailed stories about growing up in Galveston during the depression, falling in love, hardships endured during WWII, notorious hurricanes, and the many family car trips to see natural wonders out west. 

She had loving parents and two sisters, Gloria and Marguerite. In 1940 she fell in love and married her high school sweetheart, Richard (Dick) Falkenhagen, who had eyes only for her for 59 years. Yvonne and Dick raised two children, Richard, Jr., and Diane. Together they built, with their own hands, the home they loved and nourished their family in for over 50 years. In her younger years, Yvonne was socially active and made many friends in clubs such as the Young Matrons, the Galveston Garden Club, and the Galveston Art League. 

Yvonne's life was remarkable for its longevity, but it was her strength and devotion to family that made it remarkable to her loved ones. Over the years she worked at several family businesses, but her most cherished roles were wife, mother, grandmother, and homemaker. She was a rock to her husband, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was like a second mother to family friend, Peggy Cornelius. She adored her niece Betty Pickett and loved and appreciated her caregivers, Anna Garcia, Christina Simmons, Kimberly Hernandez, Christina Ramos, and Jennifer Irving. 

Never one to dwell on the negative, Yvonne always had a sunny outlook on life. She was a happy person in general, but it was her son, Richard, who could always make her laugh. Her strong principals guided her to always be compassionate, generous, fair, and honest. Confirmed in the Lutheran Church when she was 14, Yvonne was a quietly spiritual person; the Lord's Prayer was her favorite. Yvonne was always creative, indulging in art making of all kinds. She was a skilled painter and craftsperson. She crocheted and quilted. She loved to cook. She had a green thumb and could grow anything. In her younger years, she was quite the fashionista and seamstress. She could design and sew anything in fabric; when handwork was necessary, her stitches were always tiny and perfect. She passed on her passion for art making to her daughter, and encouraged her to study fine art, which she did. One of the family enterprises was an art supply and frame business where she enriched others' lives by sharing her knowledge of art and picture framing. She was also pretty tech-savvy for a nonagenarian -- she had a laptop computer and knew her way around an I-phone and I-pad! She was a marvel at crossword puzzles and could spell any word in the dictionary. 

Yvonne Frenzel Falkenhagen went to meet her maker and be with her beloved husband, Richard, on Sunday, June 26th, 2022. She is preceded in death by her parents, Marguerite and Frank Frenzel, husband Richard Falkenhagen, Sr., and Sister Marguerite Schaper Wern. She is survived by her son Richard, Jr. and his wife, Sandy Falkenhagen, daughter Diane Falkenhagen and her husband, Peter Van Borssum; grandchildren, Lee Falkenhagen and his wife, Angela Falkenhagen, Wendi Little and her husband, Shane Little, and Jodi Arthurs Easterling; great grandchildren, Maddie Little, Emily Arthurs, and Adam Easterling; sister Gloria Davis, and many nieces and nephews. May Yvonne rest in peace and look over those who loved her so much. 

A celebration of Yvonne's life will take place Thursday, July 7th, 2022 from three o'clock to six o'clock at J. Levy & Termini Funeral Home, 2128 Broadway, Galveston, Texas.

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