September 17, 1953 – April 4, 2006
Michele “Mickie” Janisse attended Utica High School, graduated from the Wayne State University School of Mortuary Science, and resided in Hazel Park and Ferndale. A longtime and compassionate funeral director in Ontario and Michigan, Janisse also practiced a form of massage called myomassology. She was survived by her beloved partner Lynne Rose.
November 19, 1947 – January 10, 1990
Utica resident Thomas Michael Bartley grew up in Port Huron, earned his B.S. in nursing in Houston and a Master’s in nursing from Mercy College in Detroit. He sang in the choir at Zion Lutheran Church in Ferndale and was involved in both Wellness Networks and AIDS Interfaith Network. Bartley was survived by two children and his lover Jim Proffitt. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 42.
Detroit Free Press, January 11, 1990
August 9, 1926 – March 5, 2010
Longtime Utica resident Ernest Horne was born in Boston, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, graduated from Harvard University, and moved to Detroit in the late 1940s. From 1961 to 1992, he was a librarian at the GM Tech Center in Warren. Horne was active in numerous Detroit area organizations, including the Association of Suburban People, the Detroit Area Gay/Lesbian Council, the Forum Foundation, and Affirmations.
April 15, 1948 – September 18, 2010
Longtime Utica resident Dennis Ashby worked as a waiter and bartender at various Detroit bars from 1968 until his death in 2010, including Eddy’s, Morey’s, the Adobe, Todd’s, and the Gold Coast.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 