February 2, 1936 – January 24, 2015
Patricia Margaret Wootton worked in health care at Zieger Osteopathic Hospital in Detroit. In retirement, she participated in the Western Wayne County Senior Olympics, medaling in golf. Wootton and her life partner Patricia Fair shared a home together in Garden City.
May 27, 1960 – December 31, 2005
Marcia Patrick grew up in Drayton Plains, graduated from the University of Michigan, and later worked as a paralegal for a Southfield law firm. Patrick and her partner Jan Pierce were longtime participants in Metro Detroit’s LGBTQ community, joining in Affirmations golf outings and supporting the Triangle Foundation.
November 29, 1951 – January 2, 2006
Northville resident Jan Pierce was born in Dearborn and served 25 years with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, retiring as a detective sergeant. She and her partner Marcia Patrick were strong supporters of the Triangle Foundation and attended golf outings sponsored by Affirmations. They lost their lives in a New Year’s Eve automobile accident.
January 23, 1937 – June 26, 1996
A native of the Isabella County town of Weidman, Bob Gross covered high school sports for the Lansing State Journal for 34 years and lived a largely closeted life. In 1996, he was murdered by a young man he picked up at Stober’s Bar. Gross was posthumously inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
October 12, 1961 – November 19, 2013
Madison Heights High School grad Cheri Jo Fiebig performed for more than 30 years as a male impersonator, appearing at the State Bar in Flint, Silent Legacy in Inkster, and other bars in Metro Detroit in the 1980s and ‘90s. She was featured on such local TV shows as Good Morning Detroit and Kelly & Company. Fiebig later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee and died from lung cancer at age 52.
November 14, 1993 – January 2, 2016
Born in Muskegon, Miranda Starr Bennett was active in sports and music at Muskegon High School with a special devotion to the saxophone. She worked for Wendy’s and Taco Bell. Among her survivors was her life partner Kendra Boos.
January 18, 1954 – December 3, 2013
Born in Detroit, Janice Zygmontowicz moved to Mt. Pleasant in the 1970s to attend Central Michigan University, where she earned four varsity letters, and played for the championship field hockey team. She worked as an electrician at CMU and later earned a Master’s degree in counseling and became an outpatient therapist.
June 6, 1929 – March 14, 2016
From 1948 to 1954, June Ann Peppas played first base and as a pitcher with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, including the Battle Creek Belles and the Kalamazoo Lassies teams. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Western Michigan University and later operated PJ’s Printing in Allegan with her life partner of 46 years, Polly Huitt.
September 8, 1955 – February 15, 2014
Yvonne Hebert enjoyed playing softball and cheered for the Detroit Tigers. A member of the Youth Activity Council, she was employed by DBQ Industries in Livonia. She and her life partner Ginger Howe resided in Waterford.
September 11, 1951 – November 4, 1993
Detroiter Armando Lomibao worked as a microbiology specialist for area hospitals and was active in the BTI Bowling League and the Metro Detroit Softball League. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 42.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 