Search Archived Marriage Records
Emma E. Williams
Grosse Pointe Shores resident Emma E. Williams, 90, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2002 at Bon Secours Hospital in Grosse Pointe.
Born in 1912 in Louisville, Ky., Mrs. Williams graduated from Ahrens Trade High School in Kentucky and worked as an engraver at Harcourt & Co.
She was a member of the Grosse Pointe Women's Club, the Grosse Pointe Country Club and the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.
She is survived by her son, Dwight D. Lawrence; her grandson, Dane A. Lawrence; her sister, Lena Miller; and her brothers, Gotlieb and Fred Gutekunst.
She was predeceased by her first husband, Turner M. Lawrence; her second husband, Franklin P. Williams; her sister, Marie Rebernak; and her brother, Bill Gutekunst.
A funeral service was held on Friday, Nov. 8 at Arch L. Heady Funeral Home in Louisville, Ky.
Interment is at Evergreen cemetery in Louisville, Ky.
Arrangements were made by A.H. Peters Funeral Home in Grosse Pointe Woods.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army.
Marlene Van Assche
Longtime Grosse Pointe resident, Marlene P. Van Assche, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2002, at her home.
She was a long standing member of the Lochmoor Country Club and enjoyed spending summers at the family cottage on Lake Erie in Wheatley, Ontario and their winter home on the Intercoastal in Hillsboro, Fla.
Mrs. Van Assche is survived by her husband of 63 years, John; her sons, Gary (Deanna), Michael (Suzanne) and Martin (Deidre); her daughters, Diane (Charles) Rometty and Susan.; sixteen grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 9, at St. Paul Catholic Church.
Interment is in St. Paul's Columbarium.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Hospice, 18303 Ten Mile Road, Roseville, MI 48066.
Jerome T. Ahlbrand
Former Grosse Pointe Park resident Jerome Thomas Ahlbrand, died of heart failure on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001 in Albuquerque, N.M. Known to family and friends as J. T. or Jerry, Mr. Ahlbrand was born on Nov. 30, 1936, into a second-generation family of German immigrants who settled in Seymour, Ind. The family was prosperous, first the carriage, and then in the furniture business.
Established in the Detroit advertising community as a deftly stylized copywriter, his economic command of language earned him several "Caddy" awards, an honor bestowed on the "car guys" of the ad business. Ironically, though his paternal grandfather had been forced out of the carriage business by the advent of the automobile, J.T.'s creative skills would eventually be used to sell automobiles.
Having begun his writing career in the advertising department of WISH Television, a CBS affiliate in Indianapolis, Ind., he moved into the agency end of the business, first in Indianapolis, then in Cleveland. Eventually he came to Detroit to work for Campbell-Ewald, where he wrote print and television ads for Chevrolet among other clients.
Departing the Detroit ad community in 1974 for Clinton E. Frank in Dallas, Texas, J. T. worked as a Creative Director on accounts for Braniff Airlines, Conoco Oil and Toyota Motors. Mr. Ahlbrand returned to the Detroit area at D'arcy MacManus & Masius, Bloomfield Hills in 1976, where he wrote Pontiac, Cadillac and GMC Truck ads. It was there that he was part of a team that created "Mr. Goodwrench" for the GM Parts division. According to Mr. Ahlbrand's son, Tom Wilder, "Following his 1983 departure as Cadillac pitchman, sales of that brand have fallen dramatically."
Survivors include a daughter, Jennifer D.; two sons, Thomas W. and Jonathon D.; three grandchildren, all of the Detroit area, and his wife Maryanne of Albuquerque.
Mr. Wilder noted that, also surviving Mr. Ahlbrand's accomplishments are "The many wealthy shareholders of the numerous corporations his creativity helped to become and remain prosperous."
Memorial services are private.
Paula Jean Ambill Bajer
Paula Jean "Polly" Ambill Bajer, 45, died on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001, in Kalamazoo.
A former Grosse Pointe Park resident, Polly was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., and was living in Gull Lake.
She was a 1974 graduate of Grosse Pointe South High School. She was also a graduate of the University of Michigan and attended the American University in Paris, France. She later taught French in her community in western Michigan.
Polly was deeply devoted to her son, her family, her friends and environmental causes.
Survivors include her husband, Marc Bajer; a son, Paul Eduard Bajer; her mother Julie Ambill; sisters Joann Thompson and Becky Cornett; nephews Brian Thompson and Jacob Bajer; a niece Karen Thompson and a nephew and niece living in France. She was predeceased by her father Howard Ambill.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Dec. 8, at noon, in the Barbour Chapel of Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, 16 Lakeshore Rd. in Grosse Pointe Farms.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Sierra Club World Wildlife Fund or the Humane Society.
Sister Mary Emma Carroll
Sister Mary Emma Carroll, 82, a member of the Congregation of Bon Secours, died on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001, at the Sisters of Bon Secours Provincial House in Marriottsville, Md., from heart failure.
Sr. Mary Emma was born Mary Dorothy Carroll in Branchdale, Pa., on Dec. 9, 1918. She attended Reilly Township High School and Immaculate High School, graduating in the class of 1939. She graduated from Bon Secours Hospital School of Nursing in the class of 1942.
Twenty years of her active ministry were spent at Bon Secours Hospital in Grosse Pointe, where she was a staff nurse. Sr. Mary Emma was also a member of the first group of sisters assigned to St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond, Va. Upon retiring in 1985, Sr. Mary Emma returned to Grosse Pointe and served in the hospital as a volunteer receptionist in the surgical waiting area. She was welcomed to the Marian Hall Community in Marriottsville, the retirement facility of The Sisters of Bon Secours, in July 1997.
Sr. Mary Emma is survived by six sisters, one brother and many nieces and nephews. The wake was held on Wednesday, Nov. 7 and was followed by a funeral/litergy at the chapel of The Sisters of Bon Secours. The burial was at New Cathedral cemetery in Baltimore.
In place of flowers, contributions may be sent to: Care of the Elderly Sisters Fund, Sisters of Bon Secours, 1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, MD 21104.
Carol Davey
Carol Zillgitt Davey, 73, beloved wife of W. Edmund Davey, died Monday, Nov. 5, 2001, at her Grosse Pointe Farms home.
Mrs. Davey was born on March 13, 1928, in Detroit. She was a former faculty member at Illinois University and Wayne State University.
Survivors also include her daughter Ruth Ann (Frank) Fitzgerald; sons James (Charlene) and Mark (MaryBeth); grandchildren Ellen Fitzgerald and John Fitzgerald and Kayla Davey, Emily Davey, Joshua Davey, Luke Davey and Noah Davey and a brother the Rev. Arthur Zillgitt.
Arrangements were handled by Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons, Inc. in Shelby Township. A memorial service was held on Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church in Grosse Pointe Farms. Interment was at the Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church, 211 Moross Rd., Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236.
James Crawford Frye II
James Crawford Frye II, 78, died surrounded by his family, just one month short of his 49th wedding anniversary, in his home in Lake Toxaway, N.C., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2001.
Mr. Frye was born to Lyda Titman Frye and James Abie Frye, on May 31, 1923 and grew up in Grosse Pointe. He attended Detroit University School and graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Economics.
During World War II, he was a pilot serving with the United States Army Air Corps.
In 1952, Mr. Frye married
fellow Grosse Pointe resident Helen Owen Frye. They moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in 1956. There, he became the president and owner of the 13th largest mechanical contracting company in the nation, American Mechanical Inc.
Retiring to his summer home in Lake Toxaway, he became a full-time resident, pursuing his passions for boating and golf. Mr. Frye also served as the treasurer of the Lake Toxaway United Methodist Church and was a benefactor to the local fire department.
In his continuing effort to pursue his passions with family and friends, he rejoined the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla., in 1995. He made his mark wherever he went and enjoyed many friendships.
He was a good father and he will be terribly missed by his family and friends.
Mr. Frye is survived by his wife Helen; a son James; a daughter Lorie Phyfer and her three children, Owen, John and Evan.
Arrangements were handled by the Moore Funeral Home in Brevard, N.C. A memorial service was held on Monday, Nov. 12, at the Lake Toxaway United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: Hospice, c/o Transilvania Community Hospital, P. O. Box 1116, Brevard, N.C. 28712.
