Bolton represents fourth generation
Located on the Leelanau-Benzie county line in Empire Township, resides Mike and Ruthy (Pleva) Bolton on the family centennial farm.
Mike is the fourth generation to inhabit the farm, settled in 1895 by his great grandfather, Camiel Mannens (Manning), 10 years after arriving from Belgium.
“We are partial peninsula people as Manning Road serves as the county line. The road makes a jog around our house but the county line goes right through our living room,” Bolton said.
Others would say it’s best of both worlds, living in one of the most gorgeous parts of either county.
Mike and Ruth have been married nearly 50 years (next June) and are both 1972 graduates of Glen Lake. Mike and Ruth are high school sweethearts and defined their love at senior prom and the rest is history, as they say.
Both were born and raised in Leelanau, as Ruth came from Cedar, and Mike from Empire. After graduating, they went on to Michigan State University, where Ruth became a teacher and Mike a dairy veterinarian. Once they graduated they started their career in Wisconsin.
“I did a lot of delivering calves in the middle of the night that the farmer could not extricate. There were a lot of nutritional ailments, twisted stomachs that you would surgically repair injuries, one of the biggest things that has been corrected a lot by nutrition today, but back 50 years ago was called milk fever ... I would go from farm to farm treating animals, sometimes 20 different farms in a day.” Mike said.
Mike and Ruthy moved back to Grand Rapids over 30 years ago to raise a family and finish out their careers.
The Boltons have three married children in the greater Detroit area and have been blessed with nine grandchildren.
Mike and Ruthy raised three children: Molly, a doctor, 42; Zachary, 39, an engineer; and Anne, 37, a teacher.
They bought the Empire Township farm in 1989 and finally moved in full-time in 2012.
“For us it was more than a retirement destination, it was moving home,” Mike said.
Both Mike and Ruthy, having just turned 70-years-old, are very active in their community.
Ruthy is past president of the Glen Lake Women’s Club and very active in outreach at the Catholic Church where Mike is Chair of the Parish Council. Mike said his dad, Bill Bolton, has served as a role model throughout life.
At 93, Bill Bolton was past Empire Township Supervisor for 30 years, science teacher at Glen Lake, home builder and furniture maker.
“He was always doing something for someone else, as was my mom,” Mike said. Mike is active in the Lions Club as well as a docent at the Empire Museum founded by his mom, Jo (Manning) Bolton along with Dave Taghon and Julia Dickinson (former owner of the Leelanau Enterprise).
“The museum is a great place to work as it just feels like a continuation of something good,” Mike said.
For fun they have a garden, make maple syrup and cider, both of which they have been doing for 70 years at the Bill Bolton Farm north of Empire.
“We try to start every day with a 2 mile “Rosary Walk” in the woods with our two labs, Q and Tapper. It is no mystery to us why people enjoy living here.”
Mike has been a member of the Lions Club International for nearly 40 years and has been active in the church.
