November 30, 1955 – January 19, 2005
William Arthur Popps was born in the small Upper Peninsula town of Ewen, graduated with the class of 1973 from Marquette Senior High School, and earned a degree in theater from Northern Michigan University. Popps was co-owner with Brian Thorsen of Club Xpress in Escanaba, the only gay bar in the UP, from 1992 to 2002.
July 18, 1962 – December 5, 2018
Deborah Jo “Debbie” Goodnough was born in Escanaba and resided in Clyde Township. She married her longtime partner Angela Sarazin in Port Huron in 2016. Goodnough worked at Subway and was a devoted fan of the New York Yankees.
August 26, 1928 – April 12, 2013
Born in Escanaba, William James Hirn earned his Bachelor’s from Western Michigan University and did his graduate studies at the University of Michigan. After teaching in Muskegon and Ann Arbor, he moved to New York State, where he was on the early faculty of Rockland Community College. Hirn and his life partner of 48 years Joseph Rogers retired to Spain and later lived in Houston and Las Vegas.
October 7, 1955 – June 4, 2015
Manton resident Janet was a 1972 graduate of Escanaba Area High School. Following high school, she worked at the Robinson Furniture Factory before moving to Arizona in 1984, returning to Michigan in the mid-1990s. She was survived by her life partner Laura Irish.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 