July 22, 1943 – August 5, 1985
William John Mathieson grew up in Grove City, Pennsylvania and attended graduate school at Michigan State University where he earned a Master’s in Spanish in 1967. He later worked as an instructor at San Francisco Community College. He died of complications from AIDS at age 42.
No known obituary.
Dates of birth and death uncertain
Stephen Franklin held retail jobs at Silverman’s and National T-Shirt. As manager of Bonnie and Clyde’s disco, he testified before the Lansing City Council in 1980 about police harassment of gay men at the nightclub. He later migrated to Texas. He died of complications from AIDS.
No known obituary.
July 10, 1961 – December 13, 1985
Raised in the small town of Ossineke, Roy Reinholz graduated from Alpena High School in 1980, earned his B.A. from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 1983, and later attended Hunter City College in New York. He died of complications from AIDS at age 24.
Alpena News, December 14, 1985
January 3, 1957 – January 15, 1986
James G. Dawson earned a B.A. in English in 1979 from Michigan State University, where his poetry was published in the Red Cedar Review. He died of complications from AIDS at age 29.
Chicago Tribune, January 17, 1986
February 25, 1954 – May 4, 1985
Rick Rapaport worked as a janitor, gas station attendant, cab driver, waiter, cook, bus driver, and for two years as wrestling coach at the Michigan School for the Blind. After dropping out of the University of Michigan in 1974, he visited 45 states and crossed the U.S. fifteen times, returning to school to finish his B.A. at Michigan State University in 1982 with a degree in journalism. He died of complications from AIDS at age 31.
Lansing State Journal, May 6, 1985
June 4, 1963 – July 19, 1993
Bradley Grant was a longtime member of the Detroit chapter of Black and White Men Together. He served on the board of the Michigan Organization or Human Rights and was active with the Detroit Area Gay/Lesbian Council. He also performed as a female impersonator under the name Peaches la Fleur. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 30.
June 8, 1937 – October 19, 1986
Fr. James Markunas was a graduate of Detroit’s Cody High School and Albion College. While serving as associate rector of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Detroit, Fr. Markunas was arrested for peaceably demonstrating after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 49.
August 25, 1948 – January 19, 1993
A graduate of Farmington High School, Alan Redner was deployed to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, received a Bronze Star for his service, and rose to the rank of captain with the Michigan National Guard. Employed with Estate Motors in Birmingham and later with BMW, Redner was also active with the Association of Suburban People. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 44.
September 6, 1951 – July 7, 1995
A Sioux raised in South Dakota and formerly known as Mervyn Moore, White Eagle was a member of the Church of Today in Warren. In the mid-1980s, he was profiled for People magazine after drawing national attention for his tenor voice. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 43.
February 11, 1965 – March 4, 1993
Northville native Mark Jerome moved to Washington after graduating high school and worked as a waiter in numerous D.C. restaurants. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 28.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 