August 3, 1926 – December 26, 2013
Detroit native Neva Weidig graduated from Denby High School in 1944 and earned her Bachelor’s from Heidelberg University in 1949. She was a Girl Scout troop leader and was employed with Kmart corporate headquarters. Weidig shared a home in Royal Oak with her partner of 45 years Dianne Chapman.
January 16, 1927 – March 31, 2002
Born in Royston, Georgia, Sally Mae McCoy moved to Detroit following World War II and attended Fleming Beauty School in the 1950s. In addition to teaching cosmetology and operating a hair care business, she worked for 20 years as a custodian with the Detroit Public Schools. Rev. Renee McCoy was among her five children.
April 4, 1965 – March 14, 2014
Danny W. (D.J.) Boos Jr. grew up in Beaverton and graduated from the Beaverton Rural Schools in 1982. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps until 1989, he moved to Chicago where he worked in the hospitality industry. Long active in the Windy City LGBT community, Boos was named Mr. Chicago Leather in 1997.
April 7, 1984 – June 23, 2015
Birmingham native Jessie Makaila Shipps was a decorated veteran the U.S. Air Force, serving from 2003 to 2014. She was active in SPARTA, an organization for trans military members, and produced a number of YouTube videos documenting her gender transition. Shipps and her spouse Leeanna resided in Hampton, Virginia with their daughter Grace.
October 1, 1987 – January 23, 2011
Born in Southfield, Kyle Bolton began writing plays in grade school. The Beverly Hills resident earned his B.F.A. from Wayne State University and with two college friends formed the art4artillery Theater Company in 2009 to stage socially engaging and LGBT-themed works. He lost his life in an automobile accident at age 23.
May 23, 1927 – March 26, 2013
Dolore “Del” Thusius earned his Bachelor’s in music from Valaraiso University and his Master’s in education from Western Michigan University. Thusius taught choir at Portage Central High School from 1955 to 1983 and directed annual musicals. He shared a home in Kalamazoo with his partner of 48 years David Reichard.
January 28, 1962 – December 6, 2017
Jean Feimster of Whitehall and formerly of Lansing graduated high school in 1979 from Flint School of Choice and earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work in 1989 from the University of Michigan-Flint. She was later employed as Director of Social Services at Hazel Findlay Country Manor in St. Johns. Feimster was an avid Harley rider.
November 13, 1943 – August 15, 2003
Flat Rock High School graduate Dianne Hasty was a founding member of Lesbian-A-Sisters, past president of the Detroit Cocker Spaniel Club, and served on the board for the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit. Before her retirement in 1987, she was systems manager of radiology at Oakwood Heritage Hospital. She and her partner Tina Gorzenski relocated to Pellston in 2000.
Detroit News, September 3, 2003
Between The Lines, September 25, 2003
Lesbian Connection, January/February 2004
October 9, 1955 – October 13, 1992
Alvin Keith Foster grew up in Taylor and Romulus, attending Christian schools before landing a job as an upholsterer for General Motors. After taking classes in floral design, he began working for Flowers by Sandino in Redford Township. In 1989, with Sandino Ciccarelli, Foster opened the Timesquare dance club in downtown Detroit. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 37.
January 27, 1958 – June 16, 2015
A Lincoln Park resident and New Jersey native, Grace McClelland worked for two decades in the non-profit sector before being tapped, in 2003, as first executive director of Ruth Ellis Center for LGBT youth in Metro Detroit. Following her departure from REC in 2009, she began her own consulting firm, Liberation Consulting.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 