Mary DeGrave

Mary DeGrave, 99, of Iron Mountain, passed away on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at Hyland Nursing Home. Mary was born on April 20, 1912, in Ironwood, the daughter of the late Nunzio and Isabella (Dalphonso) Giannunzio. She has been a lifelong resident of Iron Mountain. She married John DeGrave on Feb. 8, 1941, at St. Mary and St. Joseph Church in Iron Mountain. John preceded her in death on Jan. 10, 2007. Mary was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, the Immaculate Conception Guild, Daughters of Isabella, Knights of Columbus Auxiliary and her special card club that met every Friday. She enjoyed cooking and loved to host family gatherings to keep the family together. During World War II, she had four brothers and her husband in the service. She loved to write and kept the family well informed about whatever was taking place on the home front. In the year 2000, she wrote a centennial poem to honor our fore fathers who helped to build "Our Church" Immaculate Conception. The poem is displayed in "Our Church." She leaves her daughters, Kathryn (James) Anderson of Niagara, Wis. and Nancy (Jay) Reimer of Sterling Heights, Mich.; a brother, Tony (Carolyn) Giannunzio of Kalamazoo, Mich.; a sister, Santina Garcia of Belleville, Mich.; grandchildren, Jamie (Donovan Couey) Anderson, John (Rebecca) Emery, Michelle (Tyson) Chamberlain and Robert (Chelsea Wilson) Emery; great grandchildren, Tyler Emery and Cheyenne Chamberlain. In addition to her parents and her husband, Mary was preceded in death by her brothers, Joseph, Rudolph, John, Louis, Romeo and Fiore Giannunzio and sisters, Elaine Ferguson and Dominica Schroud. Visitation will be Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home of Iron Mountain. The Daughters of Isabella will recite the rosary at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Funeral services will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Iron Mountain. Msgr. James Kaczmarek will offer the Mass of the Christian burial. Burial will be in Cemetery Park. Pallbearers will be Robert DeGrave, Jim Anderson, Jay Reimer, John Emery, Donovan Couey, and Michael Collins. The family has entrusted the Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home with the funeral arrangements.

Mary DeGrave

June 25, 1912 - June 25, 2011