Mary L. (Willett) Gibson
Mary is now resting and healing in the loving arms of our Lord, after passing on Friday, December 29, 2006 at Hospice House of Mid-Michigan/Sparrow in Lansing, at age 58.
She was born on February 15, 1948 in Madison, WI to Elwin and Lawain Willett. Her family moved to Okemos 9 years later, where her father was a noted Animal Science researcher at Michigan State University and her mother an Okemos elementary school teacher. Mary graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA degree from MSU in 1970. Her avid pursuit of other cultures, healthy living, and nutrition led her to write about healthy lifestyles, and to teaching dance/exercise/yoga at Lansing Community College, the YMCA, and local churches in earlier years. She loved pageantry, clothing desing, and choreaographing dance for church programs.
Mary's father preceded her in death soon after moving to Michigan. She is survived by her loving husband of 33 years, Carl, of Charlotte (Windsor Township) and her wonderful son, Benjamin, at Duke Univ. in North Carolina; her mother in Columbia, MO; three brothers: Walter (Gail and 2 sons) of Cambridge, MA; Ray (Marilyn and 2 sons) in Minneapolis, MN; and Ray (Mary and a daughter and 2 sons) in Columbia, MO; an uncle, Cliff, and many cousins in the Bad Axe area; special friends who helped during this most difficult period: Elizabeth Anderson, Joanne Bassar, Bill Cote, Colleen Hansen, Debbie Waite, Ward Wood, Marie Ruhf, Vic Lewis, Gina McCann, Jacqueline Burgess, Jennifer Grover, Mohamad Nurzayee, Stephen Lowder, Karen Skold, Robert Alexander, Peter Mukuccia, and their families. Special thanks are extended to the compassionate and comforting staff and physicians at Hospice House of MId-MI.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, January 6, 2007 at Edgewood United Church, 469 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI: Robert Anderson, PhD, officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to Hospice House of Mid-MI/Sparrow (St. Lawrence Campus, 1210 W. Saginaw Hwy., Lansing, MI 48915-1999, or Care Free Medical Clinc, 3333 S. Pennsylvania (Ste. 202), Lansing, MI 48910.