May 30, 1949 – November 21, 2010
Roger Stanley Reisdorf graduated from Redford Union High School and earned his B.S. from Ferris State University. He held positions with Grandview Nursing Home, McWilliams Credit Reports, and the Detroit Transportation Corporation. In the early 1990s, Reisdorf became active with Affirmations, later served on the board of directors, and helped raise more than $5 million for its new building.
February 3, 1938 – April 4, 2015
Brian Vincent Michael Sullivan of Dearborn was born in the Bronx and lived in New York through high school. He earned his Bachelor’s from Mercy College, served three years in the U.S. Army, and later pursued a Master’s in counseling from Wayne State University to become an addiction therapist. Sullivan was survived by Robert Curtis, his life partner of 48 years.
January 26, 1963 – March 9, 1995
Scott Bernard Amedure moved to Waterford from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was five, left high school at 17 to join the U.S. Army, and later worked as a bartender at Popper’s in Pontiac. In March 1995, two days after Amedure revealed his secret crush on his straight acquaintance Jonathan Schmitz during a taping of the Jenny Jones Show, Schmitz murdered him in his Orion Township mobile home.
May 29, 1944 – April 6, 2005
Martha Charles of Lathrup Village was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana and as a toddle moved to Detroit, where she graduated with the class of 1962 from Cass Tech High School. After earning her B.A. from Western Michigan University, she taught middle and high school in St. Clair Shores. Charles was active in Women Together and co-founded the group Lesbian-A-Sisters. Her partner Sue Brooks survived her.
August 2, 1964 – February 11, 2000
Syracuse, New York native Donald Schroeder attended college in Pennsylvania before moving to Michigan to write for Car & Driver magazine. He was active in the Lambda Car Club and also served as vice president of the AIDS fundraising organization Geared 4 Life. Schroeder and his life partner of seven years Michael Vaughn shared a home in Detroit’s historic Boston-Edison neighborhood.
July 9, 1903 – July 18, 1995
Born in Menominee in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Leo Adams moved in his 20s to Chicago, where he managed the Chicago Theatre. He moved to New York City in 1928 and oversaw the shift from silent to sound for Fox movie houses. Adams later worked as an executive with Macy’s flagship department store. He bequeathed his extensive correspondence with other gay men to the New York Public Library.
New York Times, July 23, 1995
October 26, 1942 – January 15, 2018
Traverse City resident Gwen Sanford grew up in Grand Rapids, studied at Grand Rapids Junior College and Valparasio Technical Institute, and served as a trooper and diving instructor with the Michigan State Police from 1966 to 1992. After retiring, the former Glenn transitioned to Gwen and later served on the board of Friends North. Sanford was survived by her wife Carol Larson and three children.
February 7, 1957 – April 27, 2003
Port Huron native David Quinn graduated with the class of 1975 from Port Huron High School and was employed with Kroger for 18 years. He was a founding member of and served on the board for Blue Water Pride. Quinn also helped to plan and organize the international Sarnia-Port Huron Pride celebration.
Port Huron Times-Herald, April 29, 2003
June 20, 1935 – November 17, 2018
Born in Detroit, Frances Suzanne Moore moved to California at age 22, served as a journalist in the U.S. Navy, and worked at the Jet Propulsion Lab of California Tech. As an activist in San Diego, she cared for patients with AIDS and served as chair of the local Gay Academic Union. Moore was preceded in death by her wife and partner of 27 years Charlynn Johnson.
September 24, 1965 – May 23, 1992
Robert Edward Lee Penick III graduated with the class of 1983 from Cass Tech High School in Detroit. He came out in the early 1980s on the dance floors of such gay nightclubs as Todd’s, Bookie’s, and the Famous Door. At age 20, Penick moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 28.
No known obituary
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 