July 18, 1949 – August 9, 2006
Detroit native Colleen Annette Regan was valedictorian of the class of 1967 at McKenzie High School and went on to earn her B.A. and M.A. in education from the University of Maryland. She left teaching to pursue a 20-year career as a Certified Public Accountant, retiring in 2003. Regan and her partner Kathe Kirkbride resided in New Mexico.
Lesbian Connection, November/December 2006
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.
July 13, 1964 – Last seen July 21, 1983
Shawn Patrick Raymond graduated from Algonac High School and worked in an area restaurant. On the night of July 21, 1983, the 19-year-old disappeared after spending an evening out at Menjo’s in Detroit. His remains were not found until 1992 and forensics identified them as his only in 2004. The homicide case remains unsolved.
January 24, 1941 – October 3, 1999
Kay Clare McIlnay grew up in Detroit and in the late 1970s moved to the Central Valley region of California, where s he and her loving companion Nancy Ruth Walker operated the Hummin Llama Ranch. McIlnay died at age 58 after a long battle with cancer.
Detroit Free Press, October 5, 1999
April 18, 1925 – November 2, 2017
Erie, Pennsylvania native John DeCecco, a pioneering scholar of sexuality and longtime editor of the Journal of Homosexuality, taught at the University of Detroit from 1953 to 1955 and at Michigan State University from 1955 to 1960. Turning his interests to psychology, he moved on to an esteemed career at San Francisco State University until his retirement in 2003.
Windy City Times, November 12, 2017
December 8, 1998 – February 16, 2019
Dani Som, also known as Dani Sommerville, was born in Southfield and was a 2017 graduate of Berkley High School. He received a Spirit of Detroit Award in 2015 for achievement and leadership, including his involvement in music and theater, as well as extensive volunteer work. As an out young trans man, Som was active with Affirmations and FtM Detroit. Months after moving to Oregon, he took his own life.
July 22, 1958 – July 1, 2015
Pamela Lee Chamberlain of Gaithersburg, Maryland earned her B.S. in animal husbandry from Michigan State University in 1982 and went on to graduate from the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. After working in small veterinary practice in Sturgis in St. Joseph County, she began an esteemed career with the Food and Drug Administration. Chamberlain was survived by her spouse Teri Gilger.
May 17, 1962 – January 26, 1995
Born in Ann Arbor, David Bruce Goff grew up in South Lyon and graduated from Manchester High School in 1980 before joining the U.S. Navy. He later worked as a mechanic and apartment manager. He also volunteered with Wellness Networks and was active in the Detroit area leather community. Goff was preceded in death by his lover Rudy Sepulvada. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 32.
October 2, 1950 – October 15, 2017
A native of Traverse City and graduate of the Traverse City Schools, Bonnie Jean Purvis attended Central Michigan University and worked for more than three decades as a lab technician at Traverse City Osteopathic Hospital, later Munson Medical Center, retiring in 2013. An avid golfer, biker, and kayaker, Purvis was survived by Tammy Krentz, her spouse and loving partner of 36 years.
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.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 