One of the four remaining survivors of the Titanic sinking of 1912 died in East Lansing on July 4 at the age of 98.
Winnifred Quick Van Tongerloo was only 8-years-old when the Titanic went down on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
The “unsinkable” ship was carrying 2,200 people, of which 705 survived.
Van Tongerloo spent most of her life in Detroit and Warren. She moved to East Lansing six years ago after breaking her hip.
Ray Lepien, an East Lansing resident and a longtime friend of Van Tongerloo, said she was a very private person and hesitant to talk about her experience.
“It’s the end of an era,” Lepien said. “She was the only survivor to remember anything about the accident. She told people she didn’t remember because she didn’t want to talk about it, but I knew otherwise.”
Lepien said the experience was traumatic for Van Tongerloo.
One memory he recalled her sharing with him was about when she was given a life-vest. He said she was terrified she was going to fall off the ship’s main deck, which was 7 to 8 stories high.
Van Tongerloo made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean in 1912 with her mother, Jane Quick, and 3-year-old sister Phyllis, who all survived the sinking. They were immigrating from England to Detroit, where they were to meet their father, Frederick Charles Quick.
Karen Kamuda, vice president of Titanic Historical Society Inc, said Van Tongerloo was an honorary member of group. Kamuda also said because of her death, there is only one remaining American survivor, Lillian Asplund. The other two survivors, Barbara West and Millvina Dean, both reside in England.
Roger Rosentreter, MSU history professor and editor of Michigan History magazine, said more than 60 Titanic passengers were headed to Michigan - of those, at least 36 perished in the accident.
Lepien said he will remember Van Tongerloo as a women dedicated to her family. He said he loved his visits with her and would bring her chocolate chip cookies - an infatuation she developed while working at a chocolate factory as a teenager.
“I’ll never be able to look at chocolate chip cookies without thinking of her,” Lepien said. “She really, really loved chocolate, it still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.”
Van Tangerloo is survived by two daughters, a son, nine grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
