February 7, 1991 – January 24, 2019
Grosse Pointe Woods resident Nathan DeWayne Strickland Jr. earned his Bachelor’s in forensic psychology from Tiffin University in 2013 and his Master’s in community counseling from Oakland University in 2016. Strickland worked with LGBT Detroit and the Community Health Awareness Group, was active in Hotter Than July, and attended the First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit.
November 28, 1931 – April 16, 2012
Dolores Jan Harris was active with the Genesee County chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Born in Lansing, she married in 1950, worked as a paraprofessional with Brandon Schools, served as a Girl Scout leader, and sang in the choir of Ortonville United Methodist Church.
August 3, 1925 – June 11, 2008
Max Edward Toy was schooled in Lansing and graduated from Albion College. He served as a sonar operator in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Before his retirement, Toy was employed at Michigan Employment Security Commission offices in Niles and Detroit. Toy was a subscriber to ONE magazine in the 1950s.
May 13. 1983 – July 31, 2009
A native of Engadine in Mackinac County, Jonel Kathryn Hoogterp was valedictorian of her high school class and part of the All-UP Girls Basketball Team in 2001. She earned her Bachelor’s at Aquinas College and later moved to Durham, North Carolina. Hoogterp and her partner Julie Hatch were killed in an automobile crash.
November 22, 1945 – December 30, 1999
Hairstylist Ronald Lorence Owens grew up in New Mexico and served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970, honorably discharged as a Specialist 5 in the Air Defense Artillery. He resided in Southern California before moving to Michigan, where he lived in Detroit and Rochester. Owens was a member of the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit.
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.
May 21, 1948 – September 12, 2013
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Adrian Vincent practiced law in East Lansing and Chicago. As a longtime resident of Douglas, He was involved with the Saugatuck/Douglas Historical Society and enjoyed skiing, sailing, and cycling. Vincent was survived by his partner Thomas Staniszewski.
December 9, 1964 – August 26, 2017
Dana Meyer of Ann Arbor graduated from the Milan schools and received her B.S. in healthcare administration from Southern University of Illinois in Carbondale System. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1983 to 1989 and subsequently worked in patient services and as a billing manager. Meyer was survived by her partner Anne Spiegel and three children.
September 24, 1964 – March 10, 2002
Ferndale resident Lawrence James Kunkle, better known as Larry, was born in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated in 1973 from Warren High School. He earned his Bachelor’s in advertising from Ferris State University in 1987 and worked in advertising, journalism, and computer tech. Kunkle was active in WAGS, Wonderful Animals Giving Support, and was named Mr. Detroit Eagle 2002.
September 8, 1925 – December 19, 2017
Born in upstate New York, Mable Stewart Merritt moved with her family as a child to Grosse Pointe, where she graduated from high school. She worked as a typesetter for the United Auto Workers union for 40 years. Merritt was interviewed by Roey Thorpe in 1992 about her involvement in lesbian life in Detroit during the 1950s.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 