Owen James Cummings

Owen James Cummings, a modest but monumental figure in the legal field and local community and beloved family patriarch, passed away on June 24th, 2025 in Northville Twp., Michigan, at the age of 91. That long and accomplished life started on November 30, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan, born to Aileen and Patrick Cummings, and the middle of five brothers.

An example of an almost mythical “self-made man”, he grew up in a working-class Detroit neighborhood with an extended network of family and friends. He graduated from Divine Heart Seminary in Donaldson, Indiana and spent 6 months in the Army.

Owen met the love of his life, Ruth Alice Riley, at the Mary Mixers of St. Mary’s church. They were, as he said, “star-crossed”. They married in 1957 and after the birth of their first born, moved out to Redford township and proceeded to add 5 more to the “tribe”.

Owen started work as a small parts designer at Burroughs, taking evening courses in law. His natural engineering abilities produced two inventions for the company – one of them a check sorting machine still in use, for which the company gave him a bonus and an offer to send him to law school. A program at Detroit college of law allowed full time workers a four-year path, and Owen pursued it with a discipline and focus that was a marvel.

Imagine a summer evening, several kids running and shouting in and out of a ~1100 square foot house, with Owen deep into a big brown law book on the couch, with the neighborhood tom cat Junior, the color of those books, sleeping quietly next to him. Yes, even cats loved him!

After a stint at the AAA Owen formed his own independent legal practice. He hired a veteran legal secretary out of her retirement, a very smart move, and went on to build his practice on a sterling reputation of integrity, honesty and service to the community. The law firm grew from its humble offices on Five Mile Road to the iconic building overlooking I-96 where it resided for years. Cummings, McClory, Davis and Acho (CMDA) has been a law firm for over 50 years.

Owen devoted much time to Redford Township. He worked for the Township as park commissioner and then as a trustee. He then earned the trust of everyone across the political spectrum and became Township Attorney. A problem facing small and midsized municipalities at the time was the rising cost of liability insurance. Owen and his firm pioneered a ”co-op” style insurance pool which towns and small cities directly contributed to, re-insured by Lloyds of London and cutting out for-profit administrative costs. That company, MMRMA.

Owen was very generous with his time and legal expertise, helping many nonprofits, community organizations, charities and churches. For many of his clients who couldn’t pay, he would find thoughtful ways in which their talents or services to the community could stand in for payment. He made people feel good about interacting with him, would always treat people with kindness and basic respect. The result was a vast reservoir of goodwill throughout the state he could tap into to solve an individual or community crisis.

As busy as Owen was, he always had time for the important activities of family. From coaching little league to family vacations, going on boy scout camping trips, concerts and dog shows, Owen was always there for his family.

Owen and Ruth loved spending time together (never enough it seemed with his tireless, busy schedule). They developed a fondness for “eco-tours” within the U.S. and Canada, lead by an environmentalist who designed unique nature trips. They would make an early winter trip to his tooling business in Tempe, AZ, stopping in Las Vegas and visiting parks and nature preserves along the way. Even near the end of his life, Owen loved interacting with people, being with his family, and would entertain with a natural musical ability at the piano.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth Alice Cummings, six children, Mary Anne Cummings, Michael (Maricel) Cummings, Patrick (Dale) Cummings, Diane (Mark) Brooks, Steven (Kim) Cummings and Rachel (Scott) Spiewak, 10 grandchildren, Matthew, Alex (Jack), Jacob, Laurel (Angelo), Timothy, Andrew, Gerard, Lucille, Gabriel and Therese. 3 great grandchildren, Leo, Murphy and Quinn. He is preceded in death by his parents Patrick and Aileen, brothers Patrick, Jack, Ray and Kevin, and his very special granddaughter Riley.

He will be missed by everyone who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, those desiring may consider contributions in Owen's memory to the Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 E. Siena Heights Dr., Adrian, MI 49221. https://www.adriandominicans.org/