Elizabeth Joanne Stein

Elizabeth Joanne “Betty Jo” Stein died peacefully on March 28, 2025, surrounded by family in Lansing, Michigan. Betty Jo was born on December 24, 1950, in Detroit, Michigan, to Stella and Anthony Topolsky. She, with close and clever siblings Mary Margaret, Tony and Janet, grew up in a hard-working and loving home on the west side of Detroit, where she attended St. Christopher Grade School and Rosary High School (class of 1969).

Betty Jo graduated from Michigan State University in 1973, with a B.A. in English. At MSU she met her future husband, David Stein. They married on July 27, 1974, in St. Christopher Church in Detroit, and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last summer.

Betty Jo and David raised their two children, Laurie and Michael, in East Lansing, Michigan, where they lived for over 50 years. Betty Jo worked in retail at longtime East Lansing/Lansing fine gift stores Liebermann’s and Huntington’s, as well as at Heslop’s in Okemos. She brought her innate sense of design to both work and home, creating beautiful window displays as well as wall hangings and wreaths. In retirement, Betty Jo was proud to serve for over 10 years as a crossing guard for East Lansing Public Schools, mostly at Pinecrest and Crown Boulevard.

Betty Jo loved sports – and hit a mean softball from the first time she got up to bat. In addition to all the Detroit teams, she avidly supported her beloved Michigan State Spartans, trudging up to the upper deck of Spartan Stadium for 50 years as a football season ticket holder, and contending for the lead in many March Madness pools. She was a devoted soccer mom throughout her children’s athletic ventures. Betty Jo was also a keen genealogist, uncovering many facts about her own Polish ancestry, as well as authoring lovely family history volumes for both sides of the family. She found joy in many things: walks with friends, keeping up on favorite TV shows with David, reading with her grandchildren, and acing the Wordle.

Betty Jo is preceded in death by her beloved parents and nephew, Scott Ziobro. She is survived by her husband David; children, Laurie Stein (Alex Hunt) and Michael (Elise) Stein; grandchildren, Felicity and Cecily Hunt and Claire and James Stein; siblings, Mary Margaret (Wayne) Ziobro, Tony Topolsky (Reggie Griner), and Janet Topolsky; eight nieces and nephews; and many cousins and friends.

Visitation will be at Gorsline Runciman East Lansing Chapel from 4:00 to7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1. The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on Wednesday, April 2 at 9:30 a.m. Internment will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery.

Contributions in Elizabeth's memory may be made to WKAR Public Media, Michigan State University Communication Arts & Sciences Bldg. , 404 Wilson Rd Room 212, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1212 US, https://www.wkar.org/donate.