Mary Anne Richert's Obituary
Mary Anne (Janasik) Richert passed into eternal life shortly before 4 AM on November 1, 2023, the Solemnity of All Saints. She was born on May 27, 1940, in Bay City, Michigan, to Thaddeus A. and Monica I. (Gwizdala) Janasik. The oldest daughter of five surviving children, she was the big sister to them all.
After graduating from Bay City Central High School in 1958, Mary Anne attended Bay City Junior College for two years before studying Spanish at Western Michigan University. She earned an M.A. in Library Science from Western Michigan and taught Spanish at the recently opened Spring Lake (Michigan) High School before becoming a librarian and advisor to the Library Club.
Mary Anne met Roy Roger Richert at a Fourth of July barbecue in 1966. She and Roger were married six months later, on January 21, 1967, at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Bay City by Fr. (later Bishop) Kenneth Povish. They honeymooned in Florida and settled in Spring Lake. Mary Anne retired from teaching to raise their three children, Scott, Monica, and Audra. She was a proud mother, mother-in-law, grandmother to 11, and great-grandmother to one.
Before COVID, Mary Anne was an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spring Lake, where she volunteered for various activities, assisted in the funeral lunches, and, with Roger, attended the senior luncheons. She enjoyed knitting and crocheting, reading, watching game shows, and visiting with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild.
Mary Anne was predeceased by her parents; her two older brothers, John and Paul; her sister, Elizabeth Sheredy; her sister-in-law, Molly Janasik (Paul’s wife); and her nephew Thaddeus (Ted) Janasik, Paul and Molly’s son. She is survived by two sisters, Margaret Janis and Fran Cataldo; Roger, her husband and constant companion of 56 years; her son, Scott Patrick (Amy) Richert of Huntington, Indiana, and their eight children, Rebekah, Jacob, Stephen, Grace, Rose, Cordelia, Henry, and Clare, and one grandson, Antonio (Tony); her daughter Monica Mary (Jim) Hamell of Montgomery, Alabama, and their daughter, Cecilia; and her daughter Audra Lynn (CJ) Lukaart of Indianapolis, Indiana, and their two children, Ayla and Sam. She remained close throughout her life with her childhood friend Nancy (Gerry) Williams, even speaking with her on her last day. Mary Anne will be remembered as a loving wife, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend.
Visitation will take place on Sunday, November 5, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Spring Lake Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 213 E. Savidge Street, Spring Lake, MI 49456. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 406 E. Savidge Street, Spring Lake, MI 49456 on Monday, November 6, at 11:00 AM. Burial will follow immediately at Spring Lake Township Cemetery. May God grant Mary Anne Richert blessed repose and eternal memory.
Please sign the family’s online guestbook at www.sytsemafh.com.
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