Mary Doreen Manos

Mary Doreen Manos (née Pike), 93.

After a long and lovely life, she passed away peacefully at home following a brief illness.

Born in Toronto in 1928, she grew up in Detroit as an only child with her adoring parents in a happy home. While growing up, she travelled back to Toronto to spend all of her summers with her cousins, aunts, uncles and a grandmother. She described those summers as joy-filled and memorable.

After graduating from Southeastern High School, she went on to Michigan State. It was during her sophomore year at Southeastern that she first caught sight of a senior classmate who was starring in a school play...and who, years later, would be starring significantly in her life.

As a proud and deeply faithful Methodist throughout her life, she was active in many many churches in and around Detroit and Grosse Pointe. It was at St. Mark’s Methodist Church on Jefferson where she met up again with the senior classmate from Southeastern, who quickly became the love of her life. They were married at St. Marks in 1950 and were happily married for 61 years before he died. Together, they raised their son and daughter, helped and supported each other in their work and graduate study in education, hosted parties and events at their home and travelled throughout the world. They were apart only during the Korean Conflict when her husband was serving in Korea as an Intelligence Officer in the USMC.

She loved the music of the church and played the organ in churches on various occasions. She enjoyed leading and participating in Women’s Circles and Bible discussions, volunteering in a wide variety of mission outreach events and activities, organizing social activities and playing bridge with church friends.

She was a skillful gardener, loved cooking and entertaining family and friends and was an avid reader of fine literature, novels and newspapers.

She touched the lives of many during her life, most endearingly to her husband, children and grandchildren and also to her bevy of friends and to numerous little kindergarteners throughout her several years of teaching.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Peter and by her precious great-grandson, Elliot.

She is survived and will be greatly missed by her children Pam (Bob), Peter (Lori), her grandchildren Paige (John) and Dylan, her great-granddaughters, Olivia and Sophie, and her extended family members Jayne, Brendan, Karen, Kevin, Bruce, Cathy, Jim, Joe, Alyssa, Annie, Tim and Dez.

If desired, the family suggests that contributions be made in her memory to the foundation of one’s choice or to the Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church, where a memorial service will take place on June 27, 2021.