November 23, 1930 – September 20, 2010
Dolores Louise Kukla of Walled Lake was born in Detroit and graduated from Western High School. She earned her B.S. in nursing from Wayne State University in 1960 and subsequently worked as an RN. In the mid-1970s, Kukla listed herself as a “contact dyke” in Lesbian Connection to serve as a resource for women in Metro Detroit. She was also involved in the Forum Foundation in the early 1990s.
March 13, 1931 – April 20, 2015
Marvin Phillip Marks of Southfield started his own accounting firm in the early 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, he held leadership positions in numerous local gay organizations, including Dignity/Detroit, the Motor City Business Forum, the Detroit Area Gay/Lesbian Council, the Forum Foundation, and Wellness Networks. Marks received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Pride Banquet in 2009.
November 30, 1926 – February 8, 2003
James Louis Limbacher, audio-visual librarian with the Dearborn Public Library for 35 years, was born in Ohio and moved to Michigan in 1955. He earned his Master’s in library science degree at Wayne State and also taught at Wayne as a world-renowned film historian. Limbacher was active with the Association of Suburban People and the Forum Foundation.
Detroit Free Press, February 13, 2003
February 3, 1948 – October 12, 2012
Lincoln Park resident Joyce Woody worked as an insurance agent for New York Life before graduating from Irene’s Myomassology Institute in 1983 and becoming a massage therapist. In 1993, she earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Woody was involved in Lesbian Sisters Building a Network, the Motor City Business Forum, and the Forum Foundation.
December 16, 1961 – October 21. 2007
Troy resident and Detroit native Daniel Kevin Majewski earned Associates degrees in culinary arts and accounting. He and his partner Frank Blondale operated a bakery from 1985 to 1994 and, beginning in 1991, co-owned the Detroit Eagle. Both were active supporters of local LGBTQ organizations, including the Forum Foundation and the Triangle Foundation. Their partner Thomas Stabnicki also survived him.
November 3, 1942 – November 7, 2010
Born in Detroit and a graduate of Lincoln Park High School, Troy resident Thomas J. Moore III earned his M.B.A. from Wayne State University. He worked as a data consultant for General Motors. Moore and his surviving life partner of 40 years Dwight Rinke were supporters of the Triangle Foundation and the Forum Foundation.
May 6, 1943 – March 20, 2016
Roseville resident Atiba Nosakhere Cohen, formerly of Inkster, supported the Forum Foundation, served on the board of directors of Karibu House, and was active in the formation of SAGE Detroit. Cohen was posthumously awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th annual LGBT Older Adult Summit in Detroit in 2016.
No known obituary
March 23, 1932 – February 27, 2005
Marlene Kutz grew up in Dearborn and later resided in Livonia and Harrison Township. A subscriber to the Ladder in the early 1970s and supporter of the Forum Foundation in the 1990s, Kutz was also a sister in the Catholic Church.
December 25, 1929 – February 7, 2017
Lawyer, professor, and labor activist Patricia Eames earned her BA. at Reed College, her M.A. from Columbia, and her J.D. from Yale Law School. In the 1980s, she served as general counsel for Wayne State University. While in Detroit she and her life partner Connie Hart were active with the Forum Foundation and SEMGLA, the South East Michigan Gay/Lesbian Association.
March 23, 1921 – June 12, 2018
Detroit native Gilbert Hart Whelden Jr. attended Cranbrook Academy and Olivet College before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later graduated from Michigan State University and worked as an interior designer for J.L. Hudson. He was also a member of the Forum Foundation and Unlimited Seniors. In retirement, Whelden shared a home in Leland with his partner Paul Kieren.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 