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Louise "Polly" Preston Mason
Louise "Polly" Preston Mason, a resident of New Canaan Inn, Conn., died at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Conn., on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002.
Born in Kalispell, Mont., in 1911, she lived in New Canaan, Conn., for the last year after spending more than 30 years in Milwaukee, Wis.
Mrs. Mason was a 1932 graduate of Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio. She was also active in St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Grosse Pointe Woods and in St. Christopher's Church in River Hills, Wis.
She was an avid gardener and sports woman, who continued to cross-country ski and play tennis until she was 88 years old.
She is survived by her sons, Jeff Mason of New Canaan, Conn., and Peter Mason, of Harrisburg, Pa.; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Her husband, John W. Mason, died in 1976.
Arrangements are being handled by the F. Hoyt Funeral Home of New Canaan, Conn. There will be a family service in Morgantown, W. Va.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in her name to Lake Erie College, 391 W. Washington, Painesville, OH 44077 or the New Canaan Inn, 73 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840.
Audrey Grow Ruby McFarland
Audrey Grow Ruby McFarland, of Grosse Pointe and Walloon Lake, died at the age of 81 on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002. She was born in Philadelphia on July 10, 1920, the eldest child of Harvey and Lillian Wainwright Galbraith. She moved to Grosse Pointe when she was young and graduated from Grosse Pointe High School. She went on to study studio art at what is now the Center for Creative Studies.
She met her late husband J. Alfred "Skip" Grow Jr. on Mackinac Island after he had raced in the 1938 Mackinac Race. They married
in 1939. They enjoyed raising and having fun with their five children. Skip was an avid boater and a Commodore of Bayview Yacht Club, so sailing played a big part in Audrey's family life. She supported the family's various racing activities on the Great Lakes including being at the finish of the Mackinac Races. She, also, enjoyed cruising the North Channel, summers and winters at Walloon Lake, and Michigan State University football and basketball. An enthusiastic gardener, every summer she took pride in her victory garden.
She was a member of the Grosse Pointe Memorial Church for over 60 years serving as a deacon, elder, chair of the woman's association and the annual church fair. She had a particular skill in handcrafted objects. She created two of the mosaics that adorn Fellowship Hall at the church. Always a woman of great compassion for the less fortunate, she delivered hot meals to the homebound elderly for many years and was an active volunteer for more than 20 years at Bon Secours Hospital.
Following Mr. Grow's death in 1980, she married
the late Lawrence I. Ruby in 1983. They shared an enjoyment of music, theatre and travel. She is survived by her devoted husband, Irvin Henry McFarland and her beloved children Michael R. Grow, Richard D. Grow (Tina), Laurie W. Dunlap, J. Alfred Grow III, Christopher J. Grow (Sheryl), 12 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. Her two younger brothers, Girard Gordon Galbraith, the Rev. Joseph Daniel Burke Jr., numerous nieces, nephews and close family friends also survive her.
A memorial service will be held at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, 16 Lakeshore on Saturday, Jan. 19, at noon. Memorial contributions may be made to Grosse Pointe Memorial Church Endowment Fund, The Bayview Yacht Club Junior Sailors Inc. or the charity of your choice.
Ann Marie McNulty
Ann Marie McNulty, 79, died on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2001, at Bon Secours Nursing Care Center in St. Claire Shores.
Mrs. McNulty was born on Sept. 23, 1922, in Illinois and lived for 50 years in Virginia before moving to Michigan. She was a full-time mother and homemaker, a member of the Women's Club of Yorktown and a longtime volunteer for the American Red Cross.
Mrs. McNulty is survived by her daughter, Kim McNulty; her grandson Douglas Schrashun; her brothers James Redington and Michael Redington and her sister Jeanne Flynn. She was predeceased by her husband James Francis McNulty and son-in-law John Schrashun.
Arrangements were handled by the Verheyden Funeral Home. A memorial service was held at Christ Episcopal Church in Grosse Pointe Farms on Monday, Jan. 14.
Gerald Prokopowicz Sr.
Gerald Prokopowicz, Sr., 75, died of cancer on Friday, Jan. 4, 2002, at his home in Grosse Pointe Shores.
Mr. Prokopowicz was born in 1926 in Detroit to John Prokopowicz and the former Mary Popiel, both immigrants. His birth certificate showed his given name as Jaroslav. An elementary school teacher had difficulty pronouncing it and announced that he would be Gerald in her class, a name which he used the rest of his life.
While attending Pershing High School, Mr. Prokopowicz played football and earned two letters. He graduated in 1944.
He started attending Wayne State University in 1944, where he continued to play football, but World War II interrupted his education. He entered the service in 1944, and was assigned to the 106th Infantry Division, and earned a Bronze Star for participation in the siege of Brest, France, in 1945. He was discharged in 1946.
While in the service, he took art classes at Shrivenham University in Swinton, England. Returning home, he decided to make art his career. He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Wayne State University in 1949.
Mr. Prokopowicz studied in Paris with Fernand Leger, a colleague of Picasso and one of the 20th century's pioneers in modern painting, from 1950 to 1951. His proudest moment came the day that the master was reviewing his students' works, offering critical comments about each one. Stopping in front of Prokopowicz's easel, Leger was silent for a time then said, "Toute est juste!" (All is right!) before walking on. The painting today hangs in a place of honor in the Prokopowicz living room, with a plaque bearing Leger's words beneath it.
Returning to Detroit, he established an art studio of his own in 1952. To make ends meet, the young artist held a number of day jobs, in the planning department of Chrysler Tank Arsenal in Warren; at General Motors as a clay modeler; and at the Detroit Historical Museum as an exhibit preparator from 1955 to 1957. Some exhibit elements he worked on, such as the trees that line the Streets of Old Detroit exhibit, are still on display.
Active in politics, he met his future wife Aulga Maye at a Young Dems meeting in 1953. They married
in 1958 and started a family. He continued to produce original art, which was exhibited at Wayne State University, the Detroit Artists Market, the Detroit Institute of Arts and other venues. In 1959, his sculpture of St. Francis was featured on the cover of a national exhibition of religious art. It was at about this time, however, that he found that his true gift was in teaching art to others.
He began his teaching career as a substitute in the Detroit Public Schools in 1957 and earned his teaching certificate in 1959 and his master's degree in 1968, both from Wayne State University.
The heart of his teaching career, from 1968 to 1990, was spent at Cass Technical High School. Cass Tech students regularly dominated the annual Scholastic Art Show awards. In a 1969 letter to the Detroit Public School's director of art education, Mr. Prokopowicz described teaching at Cass as "an art teacher's dream" because of the "talented, eager, self-motivated students" who "comprised the bulk of all of my daily classes at Cass."
The Prokopowicz family moved to Highland Park in 1962 then to Grosse Pointe Shores in 1972.
Mr. Prokopowicz retired from teaching in 1991 but he remained active with such organizations as the Grosse Pointe Senior Men's Club, the Grosse Pointe Historical Society and the Grosse Pointe Democratic Club. He and his wife Aulga traveled extensively with the Nomads Club, and he put his talent to use as the unofficial "artist in residence" at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, to which be belonged. In his spare time, he was an expert handyman, a gourmet cook and an adept solver of Sunday New York Times crossword puzzles. He was also an avid follower of Detroit's professional sports teams, as well as those of the University of Michigan, from which his three sons graduated.
Mr. Prokopowicz is survived by his wife Aulga; his sons Gerald Prokopowicz Jr., Peter Prokopowicz and Gregory Prokopowicz; three grandchildren and a sister, Eleanor Putala.
Arrangements were handled by the A. H. Peters Funeral Home. Services were private.
Memorial gifts can be sent to the Friends of the Grosse Pointe Public Library.
Antoinette N. Roesch
Antoinette N. Roesch of Grosse Pointe Woods died at the age of 70 on Monday, Dec. 31, 2001, at Bon Secours Hospital in Grosse Pointe.
Born and raised in the Detroit area, Toni was the beloved wife of the late Henry John Roesch III.
In 1953, Mrs. Roesch started a career as an executive administrator with Loomis, Sayles & Co., Inc. Upon her marriage in 1959, she spent the next 17 years raising her four children while caring for her parents and in-laws. At the same time, she maintained an active role in volunteering in both her Michigan and California communities, including work with Children's Hospital, the United Foundation and the Junior Women's Symphony Association.
Returning to the working world in 1976, she began a 17 year career path devoted to development and fundraising for not-for-profit organizations which included both The Grosse Pointe Academy and her alma mater, Dominican High School. During that time, she also acquired her real estate license, embarking on an 18 year affiliation with Prudential Grosse Pointe Real Estate. Mrs. Roesch was very passionate about her involvement in real estate and was trusted and respected by her many colleagues and clients.
In addition to majoring in English at the University of Detroit, Toni pursued further studies at Wayne State University in Detroit and Harbor College in Los Angeles, Calif.
During her lifetime, she was a member of the Bon Secours Assistance League, Michigan and National Association of Realtors, National Society of Fundraising Executives and Otsego Ski Club. She enjoyed gardening, Bible study, skiing, sailing, tennis and cultivating her lifelong friendships.
Mrs. Roesch is survived by her son, Henry J. Roesch IV; daughters Michelle R. Potter, Heidi R. Schmidt and Andrea R. Coddens; grandchildren Ana K. Potter, Reilly L. Pooter, H. Reiner Schmidt, Rene W. Coddens and Stephanie Antoinette Coddens.
Her body was cremated and a funeral took place on Friday, Jan. 4, at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe Farms.
Memorial tributes may be sent to the Dominican High School Endowment Fund or the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.
Fred G. Schriever
Grosse Pointe Shores resident Fred G. Schriever, 76, dear husband of Patricia W. Schriever, died of a stroke on Friday, Dec. 28, 2001, at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit.
Born in Montvale, N.J. to Johanna Marie Edna Hopf and John Henry Schriever Sr., Mr. Schriever graduated from the Grosse Pointe High School and earned a bechelor of science degree in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and married
his wife Patricia in 1946.
Mr. Schriever was the President of Casting Sales, Inc. of Harper Woods; Vice President of Casting Industries, Inc. of Harper Woods; President of Amber Tool and Engineering of Harper Woods; Chairman of Machining Enterprises Inc. of Warren and the past Chairman and current Director of Margate Industries in Yale. In addition, he obtained numerous patents for his own inventions.
His professional affiliations include memberships in the American Foundrymen's Society, Manufacturer's Agents of North America and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
His interest in boating lead him to be the past commodore of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club and the past commander of the Grosse Pointe Power Squadron, an organization for which he taught for more than 30 years, obtaining 41 Merit Marks for Service. He was also the past president of the Detroit Navigator's Club, Port Captain and Rear Commodore of the Great Lakes Cruising Club and a member Bayview Yacht Club and the Clinton River Boat Club. In addition, he enjoyed memberships in the Lochmoor Club, Otsego Ski club, University of Michigan Victor's Club, University of Michigan Alumni Association, Veteran's of Foreign Wars and the Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary Post 102.
The Schriever family moved to Grosse Pointe Shores in 1966. Mr. Shriever's deep commitment to the good of the community led him to serve as the past president and a current trustee of the Grosse Pointe Shores Improvement Foundation and founder of the Foundation's Tree Program. In addition, he was the secretary of the Grosse Pointe Shores Planning Commission.
He is also survived by his sons Fred. G. Schriever Jr. and Stephen White Shriever Sr.; his daughter Barbara P. Schriever; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; his brother John H. Schriever Jr. and his sister Elise Marie Brockmann.
Arrangements were handled by the Verheyden Funeral Home. A memorial service was held on Dec. 31, at St. James Lutheran Church in Grosse Pointe Farms. Interment is at Woodlawn cemetery in Detroit.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Grosse Pointe Power Squadron Educational Fund, 165 McKinley Rd., Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236 or the Grosse Pointe Shores Improvement Foundation, 795 Lakeshore Rd., Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 48236.
Franklin Olcott VanDerKar
Franklin Olcott VanDerKar, 88, died at his home in Carpinteria, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2001.
He was born in Fruitland, Idaho and came to Grosse Pointe in 1925 following the death of both parents.
Mr. VanDerKar made his home with relatives, the late Dr. and Mrs. George E. Fay.
Frank was an outstanding oarsman, rowing for the Detroit Boat Club in eight, four, double and single competition.
Transferred to Wisconsin, then to California, by U. S. Rubber, he eventually became a large-scale avocado grower.
Mr. VanDerKar is survived by his wife of 60 years, Evangeline; three sons; two daughters; seven grandchildren and a brother, Roger, of Grosse Pointe. He was predeceased by his sister Jean Sabin.
A private family celebration of his life will be held at a future date.
